At present (April, 2023) who is the Chief of the Army Staff of India?
- (a)Manoj Pande
- (b)R. Hari Kumar
- (c)Mangal Rai
- (d)Gurbirpal Singh
Correct — A, General Manoj Pande. He took over as the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) in 2022, succeeding General M. M. Naravane, and was serving in that post as of April 2023, the reference date given in the question.
- (b)R. Hari Kumar — He held the corresponding post in the Navy — Chief of Naval Staff — not the Army.
- (c)Mangal Rai — Not the Chief of Army Staff at the time referenced in the question.
- (d)Gurbirpal Singh — Not the Chief of Army Staff at the time referenced in the question.
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army, holding the rank of a four-star General. The COAS is one of three Service Chiefs — alongside the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff — who, together with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), form India's senior military leadership.
'Who currently holds post X' questions are time-anchored current affairs, tested close to the exam's reference date; the standard trap is naming the head of a different service (Army/Navy/Air Force) rather than the one actually asked about.
- General Manoj Pande became the Chief of Army Staff in 2022, succeeding General M. M. Naravane
- The COAS holds the rank of a four-star General; the Navy and Air Force equivalents are Admiral and Air Chief Marshal respectively
- The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), created in 2019, is a separate post overseeing all three services
- Confusing service chiefs across the Army, Navy and Air Force
- Treating the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff as the same post
A time-anchored 'who is currently X' current-affairs question tied to the exam's stated reference date; the incumbent must be updated each exam cycle.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who is regarded as the professional head of the Indian Army, holding the rank of a four-star General?
- (a)Chief of Defence Staff
- (b)Chief of Army Staff
- (c)Chief of Naval Staff
- (d)Vice Chief of Army Staff
Answer(b) Chief of Army Staff.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a single-point military advisor to the Government of India, was created in the year:
- (a)2016
- (b)2019
- (c)2020
- (d)2014
Answer(b) 2019.