Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane to be the next army chief; will take over from General Bipin Rawat on December 31.Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane will be the next Chief of Army Staff helming the 1.3 million-strong force. He is currently serving as Vice Chief of the Army. Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat is due to retire on December 31 after a three-year stint.

In his 37 years of service, Lt Gen Naravane has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.He has also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and an infantry brigade on the eastern front.