List of Army Chief of India - The Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS) is the head of the Indian Army and the highest-ranking officer currently serving. The CoAS acts as the principal advisor to the Minister of Defence regarding army matters and serves as a key military advisor to the President, who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The CoAS also holds the rank of a 4-star General and is a member of critical defense and strategic committees such as the Strategic Policy Group, the Defence Planning Committee, the National Security Council, and the Defence Acquisition Council. They report directly to the Prime Minister of India, the Defence Minister, and the Chief of Defence Staff. Below is the list of Army Chiefs of India.
List of Army Chief of India
The first Indian Chief of Army Staff was General Sir Robert Lockhart, who served from 15 August 1947 to 31 December 1947. Here is the complete list of Army Chiefs of India from 1947 to 2025.
| S.No. | Name | Tenure | Unit |
| 1 | General Sir Robert Lockhart | 15 Aug 1947 – 31 Dec 1947 | 51st Sikhs |
| 2 | General Sir Roy Bucher | 01 Jan 1948 – 14 Jan 1949 | 4th Cameronians |
| 3 | Field Marshal KM Cariappa | 15 Jan 1949 – 14 Jan 1953 | 88th Carnatic Infantry |
| 4 | General KS Rajendra Sinhji | 15 Jan 1953 - 14 May 1955 | 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) |
| 5 | General S.M. Srinagesh | 15 May 1955 - 7 May 1957 | 19th Hyderabad Regiment |
| 6 | General K.S. Thimayya | 8 May 1957 - 7 May 1961 | 19th Hyderabad Regiment |
| 7 | General P.N. Thapar | 8 May 1961 - 19 Nov 1962 | 1st Punjab Regiment |
| 8 | General J.N. Choudhuri | 20 Nov 1962 - 7 Jun 1966 | 16th Light Cavalry |
| 9 | General P.P. Kumaramangalam | 8 Jun 1966 - 7 Jun 1969 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 10 | General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw | 8 Jun 1969 - 14 Jan 1973 | 12th Frontier Force Regiment |
| 11 | General G.G. Bewoor | 15 Jan 1973 - 31 May 1975 | Dogra Regiment |
| 12 | General T.N. Raina | 1 Jun 1975 - 31 May 1978 | Kumaon Regiment |
| 13 | General O.P. Malhotra | 1 Jun 1978 - 31 May 1981 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 14 | General K.V. Krishna Rao | 1 Jun 1981 - 31 Jul 1983 | Mahar Regiment |
| 15 | General A.S. Vaidya | 1 Aug 1983 - 31 Jan 1986 | 9th Deccan Horse |
| 16 | General K. Sunderji | 1 Feb 1986 - 30 Apr 1988 | Mahar Regiment |
| 17 | General V.N. Sharma | 1 May 1988 - 30 Jun 1990 | 16th Light Cavalry |
| 18 | General S.F. Rodrigues | 1 Jul 1990 - 30 Jun 1993 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 19 | General B.C. Joshi | 1 Jul 1993 - 18 Nov 1994 | 64th Cavalry |
| 20 | General S. Roychowdhury | 22 Nov 1994 - 30 Sep 1997 | 20th Lancers |
| 21 | General V.P. Malik | 1 Oct 1997 - 30 Sep 2000 | Sikh Light Infantry |
| 22 | General S. Padmanabhan | 1 Oct 2000 - 31 Dec 2002 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 23 | General N.C.Vij | 1 Jan 2003 - 31 Jan 2005 | Dogra Regiment |
| 24 | General J.J. Singh | 01 Feb 2005 - 30 Sep 2007 | Maratha Light Infantry |
| 25 | General Deepak Kapoor | 30 Sep 2007 - 30 Mar 2010 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 26 | General V.K. Singh | 31 Mar 2010 - 31 May 2012 | Rajput Regiment |
| 27 | General Bikram Singh | 01 Jun 2012 - 31 Jul 2014 | Sikh Light Infantry |
| 28. | General Dalbir Singh Suhag | 31 Jul 2014 - 31 Dec 2016 | 5 Gorkha Rifles |
| 29. | General Bipin Rawat | 31 Dec 2016 - 31 Dec 2019 | 11 Gorkha Rifles |
| 30. | General Manoj Mukund Naravane | 31 Dec 2019 - 30 Apr 2022 | Sikh Light Infantry |
| 31. | General Manoj Pande | 30 Apr 2022 - 2022 Incumbent | Bombay Sappers |
For more details on the list of Army Chiefs of India, visit the Indian Army website: https://indianarmy.nic.in/home.
Read: Army Rank List and Insignia of India
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