Army Chief of India From 1947 to 2024: Know Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Indian Army after Independence

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) in India is the highest rank officer of the Indian Army. Popularly known as the Army Chief is the principal advisor of the Defense on matters related to the Indian Army. The designation of “Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)” was created through the Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act, 1955.

Before this act in 1955, this position was known as the chief of the Army Staff and Commander in chief, Indian Army. In various competitive exams, questions are often derived from the list of Army chiefs of India from 1947 to 2024.

Complete list of Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS)

As mentioned above, the position of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was created in the year 1955. Before that, the post was known by different names. The details of the same are as follows.

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army – 1947 to 1948.
Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army – 1948 to 1955.
Chief of the Army Staff – 1955 to present

So far, there have been 2 Commander-in-Chief, 3 Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, and 27 Chief of Army Staff in the Indian Army to date. The names and tenures of all these are given below.

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army – 1947 to 1948

Name	Tenure	Unit of Commission
General Sir Robert Mcgregor Macdonald Lockhart	15 August 1947 to 31 December 1947 (108 days)	51st Sikhs
General Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher	1 January 1948 to 20 June 1948 (171 days)	4th Cameronians

Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army – 1948 to 1955

Name	Tenure	Unit of Commission
General Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher	21st June 1948 to 15th January 1949 (208 days)	4th Cameronians
General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa	15th January 1949 to 14th January 1953 (3 years, 365 days)	88th Carnatic Infantry
General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja	14th January 1953 to 1st April 1955 (2 years 77 days)	2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse)

Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present)

Name	Tenure	Unit of Commission
General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja	1 April 1955 to 14 May 1955 (43 days)	2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse)
General Satyawant Mallana Srinagesh	15 May 1955 to 7 May 1957 (1 year, 357 days)	19th Hyderabad Regiment
General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya	8 May 1957 to 7 May 1961 (4 years)	19th Hyderabad Regiment
General Pran Nath Thapar	8 May 1961 to 19 November 1962 (1 year, 195 days)	1st Punjab Regiment
General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri	20 November 1962 to 7 June 1966 (3 years, 199 days)	16th Light Cavalry
General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam	8 June 1966 to 7 June 1969 (2 years, 364 days)	Regiment of Artillery
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw	8 June 1969 to 15 January 1973 (3 years, 221 days)	12th Frontier Force Regiment
General Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, PVSM	16 January 1973 to 31 May 1975 (2 years, 135 days)	Dogra Regiment
General Tapishwar Narain Raina	1 June 1975 to 31 May 1978 (2 years, 364 days)	Kumaon Regiment
General Om Prakash Malhotra	1 June 1978 to 31 May 1981 (2 years, 364 days)	Regiment of Artillery
General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao	1 June 1981 to 31 July 1983 (1 year, 364 days)	Mahar Regiment
General Arunkumar Shridhar Vaidya	1 August 1983 to 31 January 1986 (2 years, 244 days)	9th Deccan Horse
General Krishnaswamy Sundarji	1 February 1986 to 31 May 1988 (2 years, 120 days)	Mahar Regiment
General Vishwa Nath Sharma	1 June 1988 to 30 June 1990 (2 years, 29 days)	16th Light Cavalry
General Sunith Francis Rodrigues	1 July 1990 to 30 June 1993 (2 years, 364 days)	Regiment of Artillery
General Bipin Chandra Joshi	1 July 1993 to 19 November 1994 (1 year, 141 days)	64th Cavalry
General Shankar Roy Chowdhary	20 November 1994 to 30 September 1997 (2 years, 314 days)	20th Lancers
General Ved Prakash Malik	1 October 1997 to 30 September 2000 (2 years, 365 days)	Sikh Light Infantry
General Sundararajan Padmanabhan	1 October 2000 to 31 December 2002 (2 years, 91 days)	Regiment of Artillery
General Nirmal Chander Vij	1 January 2003 to 31 January 2005 (2 years, 30 days)	Dogra Regiment
General Joginder Jaswant Singh	1 February 2005 to 30 September 2007 (2 years, 241 days)	Maratha Light Infantry
General Deepak Kapoor	1 October 2007 to 31 March 2010 (2 years, 181 days)	Regiment of Artillery
General Vijay Kumar Singh	1 April 2010 to 31 May 2012 (2 years, 60 days)	Rajput Regiment
General Bikram Singh	1 June 2012 to 31 July 2014 (2 years, 60 days)	Sikh Light Infantry
General Dalbir Singh Suhag	1 August 2014 to 31 December 2016 (2 years, 152 days)	Gorkha Rifles
General Bipin Rawat	31 December 2016 to 31 December 2019 (3 years)	11 Gorkha Rifles
General Manoj Mukund Naravane	31 December 2019 to 30 April 2022	Sikh Light Infantry
General Manoj Pande	30 April 2022 to Present	Bombay Sappers

Also Check: List of RBI Governors of India

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the office of Indian Army Chief located?

The office of the Chief of the Army Staff is based at South Block of the Central Secretariat at Raisina Hill, New Delhi.

Who is currently the Indian Army Chief?

The current chief of Army Staff (COAS), India is General Manoj Pande.

What is the tenure of Chief of Army Staff in India?

The tenure of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in India is 3 years or up to 62 years of age whichever is earlier.

Who was the first Indian commander-in-chief of the Indian army after independence?

Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army. He was also the first Indian military officer to attend the Staff College, Quetta, and the first Indian to command a battalion.

Who was the Indian army chief during Kargil war?

General Ved Prakash Malik was chief of Indian Army during the Kargil war.