General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday took charge as the Chief of Army Staff, succeeding General Bipin Rawat.
General Naravane served as vice chief of the Army before taking charge of the 1.3 million-strong Army.
In his 37 years of service, Gen Naravane served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
As Army chief, General Naravane's priorities are expected to be to implement long-pending reforms of the Army, contain cross-border terrorism in Kashmir and bolster the operational capabilities of the force along the northern border where China has been ramping up its military infrastructure in Tibet.
Before being appointed vice chief, the alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy headed the Army's Eastern Command that takes care of India's nearly 4,000-km border with China.
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He also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and an infantry brigade on the eastern front.
With Gen Naravane taking charge, all the three services heads, including Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Indian Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria, are now from the 56th course of the National Defence Academy.
