General Manoj Mukund Naravane, PVSM AVSM SM VSM ADC, a distinguished figure in the Indian Army, served as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) and briefly chaired the Chiefs of Staff Committee until his retirement in April 2022.
Born into a Marathi Brahmin family in Pune on April 22, 1960, Gen. Naravane’s military journey began at the National Defence Academy, Pune, followed by the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. His educational pursuits include a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the University of Madras and an M.Phil. in Defence and Management Studies from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore.
Gen. Naravane’s career spans diverse roles such as Vice Chief of Army Staff and various command positions including GOC-in-C of Eastern Command and Army Training Command. His leadership and strategic acumen have been honed through extensive training at institutions like the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and the Army War College, Mhow.
Appointments
- Chief of the Army Staff 2020 – 2022
- Vice Chief of the Army Staff 2019
- General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command 2018 – 2019
- General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command 2017 – 2018
- Served for 42 years in Indian Army (Sikh Light Infantry Regiment) 1980 – 2022
Awards
Military / National
2019: Param Vishisht Seva Medal (Distinguished Service of Most Exceptional Order)
2017: Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (Distinguished Service of Exceptional Order)
2015: Vishisht Seva Medal (Distinguished Service of High Order)
2003: Sena Medal (D) (Individual act of Exceptional Devotion to Duty)
Civil / International
2022: Distinguished Public Service Award 2022 by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum
2020: Honorary General of Nepali Army Conferred by Nepali President H.E. Mrs Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Talks / Papers / Articles
2024
- AI – A Double-Edged Sword, India Today.
- India-China Relations, St Anthony’s College, Oxford, United Kingdom. May.
2023
- Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
- National Institute of Personnel Management. National Conference, Pune.
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
- Paper on Rising to the Challenge: Rebalancing the Indian Army. ORF-RSIS
- Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Annual Conclave, Pune.
2021
- RUSI (Royal United Services Institute), London, UK.
- Defence Services Command and Staff College, Sri Lanka.
2020
- Command and Staff College, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Army Command and Staff College, Kathmandu, Nepal.
- Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
Teaching
- Faculty at Army War College, Mhow, Madhya Pradesh for Higher Command Course (Equivalent to United States Army Command and General Staff College and Higher Command and Staff Course of UK)
- Guide for students attending the Higher Command Course for their M.Phil. dissertations.
International Experience
- 2020-22: Head of Military Delegation to UK, Italy, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Singapore and South Korea
- 2007-10: Defence Adviser, Embassy of India Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
- 1990-91: Deployed as part of Indian Peace Keeping Forces in Sri Lanka.