Chief of the Army Staff (India)

Chief of the Army Staff
Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff
Incumbent General Manoj Pande PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC since 30 April 2022
Indian Army
Status	Military branch chief
Abbreviation	COAS
Member of	Strategic Policy Group Defence Planning Committee National Security Council Defence Acquisition Council
Reports to	Prime Minister Minister of Defence Chief of Defence Staff
Seat	Central Secretariat
Appointer	ACC President of India
Term length	3 years or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
Constituting instrument	Army Act, 1950 (Act No. 46 of 1950)
Precursor	Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army
Formation	21 June 1948 (1948-06-21)
First holder	General Rob Lockhart
Unofficial names	Army Chief
Deputy	Vice Chief of the Army Staff
Salary	₹250,000 (US$3,500) monthly

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (unofficially known as the Army Chief) is a statutory position in the Indian Army held usually by a four star general. As the highest ranking officer to serve solely in the Indian Army, the chief is the professional head of the ground forces and a key adviser to the Minister of Defence. The COAS, in a separate capacity, is also a member of the National Security Council and thereby an advisor to the president and the prime minister. The COAS is typically the most senior army officer in the Indian Armed Forces, unless the Chief of Defence Staff and/or the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee is an army officer.

Office of the Chief of the Army Staff

The post of Commander-in-Chief, India was established in 1748 to designate the commander of all forces of East India Company.

After 1857 , the Commander-in-Chief become the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The C-in-C was also the overall head of the armed forces of the British India including the Royal Indian Air Force and Royal Indian Navy. The Commander-in-Chief was also closely in contact with Office of the Viceroy of India.

After partition in 1947 the post of Commander-in-Chief was divided into:- Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army, Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army and Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in India and Pakistan. At Independence, the head of the Indian Army was designated as the "Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army". On 21 June 1948, the title of "Chief of the Army Staff" was added, with the post correspondingly re-designated as the "Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army". The designation was again changed to "Chief of Army Staff" through the Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act ,1955. The office is based at South Block of the Central Secretariat at Raisina Hill, New Delhi.

Appointments to the office are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). The COAS reaches superannuation upon three years in the office or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.

Appointees

For the army heads before India's independence, see Commander-in-Chief, India.

The following table chronicles the appointees to the office of the Chief of the Army Staff or its preceding positions since the independence of India. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1955)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Unit of Commission
1		Lockhart, RobGeneral Sir Robert Mcgregor Macdonald Lockhart, (1893–1981)	15 August 1947	31 December 1947	108 days	51st Sikhs
2		Bucher, RoyGeneral Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher, (1895–1980)	1 January 1948	14 January 1949	1 year, 14 days	4th Cameronians
3		Cariappa, KodanderaGeneral Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, (1899–1993)	15 January 1949	14 January 1953	3 years, 365 days	88th Carnatic Infantry	—
4		Jadeja, RajendrasinhjiGeneral Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, (1899–1964)	14 January 1953	1 April 1955	2 years, 77 days	2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)

Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Unit of Commission
1		Jadeja, RajendrasinhjiGeneral Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, (1899–1964)	1 April 1955	14 May 1955	43 days	2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
2		Shrinagesh, S.General Satyawant Mallana Srinagesh (1903–1977)	15 May 1955	7 May 1957	1 year, 357 days	19th Hyderabad Regiment
3		Thimayya, KodenderaGeneral Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, (1906–1965)	8 May 1957	7 May 1961	4 years, 0 days	19th Hyderabad Regiment
4		Thapar, PranGeneral Pran Nath Thapar, PVSM (1906–1975)	8 May 1961	19 November 1962	1 year, 195 days	1st Punjab Regiment
5		Chaudhuri, Jayanto NathGeneral Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, (1908–1983)	20 November 1962	7 June 1966	3 years, 199 days	16th Light Cavalry
6		Kumaramangalam, Paramasiva PrabhakarGeneral Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, (1913–2000)	8 June 1966	7 June 1969	2 years, 364 days	Regiment of Artillery
7		Manekshaw, SamField Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, (1914–2008)	8 June 1969	15 January 1973	3 years, 221 days	2/8 Gorkha Rifles
8		Bewoor, Gopal GurunathGeneral Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, PVSM (1916–1989)	16 January 1973	31 May 1975	2 years, 135 days	Dogra Regiment
9		Raina, Tapishwar NarainGeneral Tapishwar Narain Raina, MVC, SM (1921–1980)	1 June 1975	31 May 1978	2 years, 364 days	Kumaon Regiment
10		Malhotra, Om PrakashGeneral Om Prakash Malhotra, PVSM (1922–2015)	1 June 1978	31 May 1981	2 years, 364 days	Regiment of Artillery
11		Rao, K.General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, PVSM (1923–2016)	1 June 1981	31 July 1983	1 year, 364 days	Mahar Regiment
12		Vaidya, Arun ShridharGeneral Arunkumar Shridhar Vaidya, PVSM, MVC, AVSM (1926–1986)	1 August 1983	31 January 1986	2 years, 244 days	9th Deccan Horse
13		Sundarji, KrishnaswamyGeneral Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM (1928–1999)	1 February 1986	31 May 1988	2 years, 120 days	Mahar Regiment
14		Sharma, Vishwa NathGeneral Vishwa Nath Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 1930)	1 June 1988	30 June 1990	2 years, 29 days	16th Light Cavalry
15		Rodrigues, Sunith FrancisGeneral Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM (1933–2022)	1 July 1990	30 June 1993	2 years, 364 days	Regiment of Artillery
16		Joshi, Bipin ChandraGeneral Bipin Chandra Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (1935–1994)	1 July 1993	19 November 1994	1 year, 141 days	64th Cavalry
17		Roychowdhury, ShankarGeneral Shankar Roy Chowdhary, PVSM, ADC (born 1937)	20 November 1994	30 September 1997	2 years, 314 days	20th Lancers
18		Chowdhury, Shankar RoyGeneral Ved Prakash Malik, PVSM, AVSM (born 1939)	1 October 1997	30 September 2000	2 years, 365 days	Sikh Light Infantry
19		Padmanabhan, SundararajanGeneral Sundararajan Padmanabhan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 1940)	1 October 2000	31 December 2002	2 years, 91 days	Regiment of Artillery
20		Vij, Nirmal ChanderGeneral Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (born 1943)	1 January 2003	31 January 2005	2 years, 30 days	Dogra Regiment
21		Vij, Nirmal ChanderGeneral Joginder Jaswant Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC (born 1945)	1 February 2005	30 September 2007	2 years, 241 days	Maratha Light Infantry
22		Kapoor, DeepakGeneral Deepak Kapoor, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (born 1948)	1 October 2007	31 March 2010	2 years, 181 days	Regiment of Artillery
23		Singh, Vijay KumarGeneral Vijay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC (born 1950)	1 April 2010	31 May 2012	2 years, 60 days	Rajput Regiment
24		Singh, BikramGeneral Bikram Singh PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (born 1952)	1 June 2012	31 July 2014	2 years, 60 days	Sikh Light Infantry
25		Singh, DalbirGeneral Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC (born 1954)	1 August 2014	31 December 2016	2 years, 152 days	5 Gorkha Rifles
26		Rawat, BipinGeneral Bipin Rawat, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC (1958–2021)	31 December 2016	31 December 2019	3 years, 0 days	11 Gorkha Rifles
27		Naravane, Manoj MukundGeneral Manoj Mukund Naravane, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (born 1960)	31 December 2019	30 April 2022	2 years, 120 days	Sikh Light Infantry
28		General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC (born 1962)	30 April 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 354 days	Bombay Sappers

See also

• Commander-in-Chief, India
• Chief of the General Staff
• Field Marshal of the Indian Army
• Chief of Defence Staff
• Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
• Chief of Integrated Defence Staff
• Vice Chief of the Army Staff
• Chief of the Naval Staff
• Chief of the Air Staff
• List of serving generals of the Indian Army

Sources

• Khanduri, Chandra B. (2006). Thimayya: an amazing life. New Delhi: Knowledge World. p. 394. ISBN 978-81-87966-36-4. Retrieved 30 July 2010.