General Mukund Naravane takes charge as India's 28th Army Chief

New Delhi: Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday took over as the 28th Chief of Army Staff, helming the 1.3 million-strong force at a time India faces evolving security challenges such as cross-border terrorism and an assertive Chinese military along the border.

Gen Naravane, who was serving as vice chief of the Army, succeeds Gen Bipin Rawat, who was appointed the country's first Chief of Defence Staff, a post created to bring in operational convergence among the three services.

As Army chief, Gen 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.

Meanwhile, the government has created a Department of Military Affairs in the Defence Ministry and it will be headed by newly-appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, according to an official order issued on Tuesday.

The new department will have under it works relating to the three forces — Army, Navy and Air Force — and procurement exclusive to the services, except capital acquisitions, according to prevalent rules and procedures, the order said.

It said the department will ensure facilitation of restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about "jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint and theatre commands".