| Chief of Army Staff of the Nepal Army | |
|---|---|
| नेपालका प्रधानसेनापति | |
 Emblem of Nepal | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Abbreviation | COAS |
| Reports to |
Prime Minister of Nepal Ministry of Defence |
| Seat | Bhadrakali, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Nominator | Government of Nepal |
| Appointer | President of Nepal |
| Term length | 3 years or upto 61 years of age[1] |
| Precursor | Commander-in-Chief of Nepal Army |
| Formation | 15 May 1979 |
| First holder | General Singha Pratap Shah |
| Succession | On basis of seniority, subjected to the decision of the Prime Minister of Nepal. |
| Unofficial names |
Army Chief Chief Sa'ab |
| Deputy | Chief of General Staff |
| Website | Official website |
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) (Nepali language: नेपालको प्रधानसेनापति), informally known as Chief Sa'ab (Nepali language: चिफ सा'ब), is a military appointment and statutory office held by the four-star rank army general in the Nepalese Army, who is appointed by the President of Nepal on the recommendation of Council of Ministers of Nepal. The Chief of Army Staff is the commander and head of the Nepalese Army.
The Chief of Army Staff is the Chief of the Nepalese Army and reports to the Government of Nepal. The appointment is constitutionally subjected to be for three years or up to 61 years of age whichever is earlier. The seat of Chief of Army Staff is in Bhadrakali, Kathmandu. The current Chief of Army Staff is General Purna Chandra Thapa, since 9 September 2018.
History[]
The Kajis of Gorkha Kingdom (later Kingdom of Nepal) carried the functions of army chief. In the 19th century, Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa was the first person to use Commander-in-Chief as the title of army chief.[2] During the Rana dynasty, the post of army chief was hereditary. In 1979, General Singha Pratap Shah was raised with the title of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) instead of Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C). Since then, COAS is the title of army chief of Nepalese Army.
Appointment[]
As per Section 8 of Army Act (2063) of Nepal, the Chief of Army Staff is appointed by the President of Nepal on the recommendation of Council of Ministers of Nepal.[3] The Chief of Army Staff is the head of the Nepalese military. As per Section 10 of the same, the appointment is subjected to be for three years or up to 61 years whichever is earlier.[3] As per Section 8(3) of Nepal Army Act (2063), in case of leave by current COAS, the President of Nepal can appoint the seniormost officer as the acting Chief of Army Staff. When General Rajendra Chhetri left for 15 days tour on 30 June 2017 to United States, Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Baldev Raj Mahat was appointed Acting Chief of the Army Staff as per section 8(3).[4] Similarly, then CGS Lt. Gen. Purna Chandra Thapa was appointed as the acting Chief of Army Staff on 8 August 2018 at the traditional last month leave of General Chhetri.[5]
Powers, duties and responsibilities[]
As per Section 9(1) of Army Act (2063) of Nepal, the Chief of Army Staff shall manage the armed forces under the instructions of the Government of Nepal and according to prevailing laws and acts. As per Section 9(2), the COAS shall submit an annual report on the management of Nepalese armed forces to the Government of Nepal on the Baisakh month of Hindu calendar.[3]
Removal[]
As per Section 11 (1 & 2) of the Army Act, COAS is normally retired on completion of 3 years or up to age of 61 years of the person, whichever is earlier. However, as per the section 11(3) of the same, the COAS can be removed by the President of Nepal if deemed necessary by Government of Nepal on the recommendation of Council of Ministers of Nepal.[3]
List of Chiefs of the Army Staff of Nepal (1979–present)[]
| № | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Singha Pratap Shah OGDB, OTSP | 15 May 1979 | 15 May 1983 | 4 years, 0 days | - | - | |
| 2 | General Arjun Narsingh Rana OGDB, OTSP | 15 May 1983 | 15 May 1987 | 4 years, 0 days | - | - | |
| 3 | General Satchit Rana OGDB, OTSP (1934–2007) | 15 May 1987 | 15 May 1991 | 4 years, 0 days | Shreenath Battalion | - | |
| 4 | General Gadul Shamsher JB Rana OGDB, OTSP (1936–2016) | 15 May 1991 | 4 May 1995 | 3 years, 354 days | - | [6] | |
| 5 | General Dharmapaal Barsingh Thapa OGDB, OTSP (born 1936) | 15 May 1995 | 15 May 1999 | 4 years, 0 days | - | - | |
| 6 | General Prajwalla Shamsher JB Rana OGDB, OTSP | 19 May 1999 | 9 September 2003 | 4 years, 113 days | - | - | |
| 7 | General Pyar Jung Thapa | 10 September 2003 | 09 September 2006 | 2 years, 364 days | - | - | |
| 8 | General Rookmangad Katawal (born 1948) | 09 September 2006 | 09 September 2009 | 3 years, 0 days | - | - | |
| 9 | General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung (born 1952) | 09 September 2009 | 05 September 2012 | 2 years, 362 days | Shreenath Battalion | - | |
| 10 | General Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana (born 1955) | 06 September 2012 | 10 September 2015 | 3 years, 4 days | Purano Gorakh Battalion | [7] | |
| 11 | General Rajendra Chhetri (born 1960) | 10 September 2015 | 8 September 2018 | 2 years, 363 days | Rajdal Battalion | [5] | |
| 12 | General Purna Chandra Thapa (born 1960) | 9 September 2018 | Incumbent | 5 years, 222 days | Gorakh Bahadur Battalion | [1][8][9] |
Vice Chief of Army Staff[]
Chief of General Staff (CGS) is the deputy position of the Chief of Army Staff. The CGS is generally ranked as Lieutenant General (three star General). The chief of general staff is assigned to look after intelligence and operations in the Army.[10] Currently, Lt. Gen. Sarad Giri is the CGS of the Nepal Army.
| № | Chief of General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | General Rajendra Chhetri (born 1960) | February 2015 | July 2015 | 5 months | Rajdal Battalion | [10] | |
| - | Lieutenant General Baldev Raj Mahat | July 2015 | 4 November 2017 | 2 years, 4 months | - | [10][11] | |
| - | General Purna Chandra Thapa (born 1960) | 4 November 2017 | 8 August 2018 | 277 days | Gorakh Bahadur Battalion | [5][11][12] | |
| - | Lieutenant General Hemanta Raj Kunwar | 16 September 2018 | 23 April 2019 | 219 days | Naya Gorakh Battalion | [13][14][15][16] | |
| 40 | Lieutenant General Sarad Giri | 23 April 2019 | Incumbent | 4 years, 361 days | Rajdal Battalion | [16] |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Thapa likely to be appointed Nepali Army chief". 4 November 2017. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/purna-chandra-thapa-likely-appointed-nepali-army-chief/. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ↑ Adhikari 2012, p. 155.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Military act 2063" (PDF). https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/upload/military_act/military_act_2063.pdf.
- ↑ "Lieutenant General Mahat entrusted with NA acting Chief responsibility". 29 June 2017. https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/lieutenant-general-baldev-raj-mahat-entrusted-nepal-army-acting-chief-responsibility/. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Thapa to take charge of Nepali Army as acting CoAS - The Himalayan Times". 9 August 2018. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/lieutenant-general-purna-chandra-thapa-to-take-charge-of-nepali-army-as-acting-chief-of-army-staff/. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ↑ "Former army chief Gadul Shamsher Rana no more". 6 April 2016. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/former-nepal-army-chief-gadul-shamsher-rana-no-more/. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ↑ "Tough challenges ahead for new NA chief Chhetri - The Himalayan Times". 10 September 2015. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/tough-challenges-ahead-for-new-na-chief-chhetri/. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ↑ "General Purna Thapa is new chief of Nepal Army". 9 September 2018. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/general-purna-thapa-is-new-chief-of-nepal-army/articleshow/65740999.cms. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ↑ "Thapa sworn in as new Army chief". http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-09-10/thapa-sworn-in-as-new-army-chief.html. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Chhetri promoted to acting Army chief". http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-08-07/chhetri-promoted-to-acting-army-chief.html. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Thapa likely to be appointed Nepali Army chief". 4 November 2017. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/purna-chandra-thapa-likely-appointed-nepali-army-chief/. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ↑ "CGS Biography". https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/cgs_biography. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ↑ http://therisingnepal.org.np/news/25695
- ↑ https://www.nepalisansar.com/news/nepal-keen-on-maintaining-world-military-relations/
- ↑ "CGS Biography". https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/cgs_biography. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "CGS Biography". https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/cgs_biography. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
Books[]
- Acharya, Baburam (2012). "Janaral Bhimsen Thapa : Yinko Utthan Tatha Pattan". In Acharya, Shri Krishna (in Nepali). Kathmandu: Education Book House. p. 228. ISBN 9789937241748.
- Adhikari, Indra (2015). "Military and Democracy in Nepal". Routledge. ISBN 9781317589068. https://books.google.com.np/books?id=CVLeCQAAQBAJ.
- Nepal, Gyanmani (2007). "Nepal ko Mahabharat" (in Nepali). Kathmandu: Sajha. p. 314. ISBN 9789993325857.
- Oldfield, Henry Ambrose (1880). "Sketches from Nipal, Vol 1". London: W.H. Allan & Co.. https://archive.org/details/sketchesfromnipa01oldf.
- Pradhan, Kumar L. (2012). "Thapa Politics in Nepal: With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa, 1806–1839". New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. p. 278. ISBN 9788180698132. https://books.google.com/?id=7PP1yElRzIUC&dq=the+assassination+of+rana+bahadur+shah.
- Khatri, Shiva Ram (1999 University of Michigan). "Nepal Army Chiefs: Short Biographical Sketches". Sira Khatri. https://books.google.com.np/books?id=YIPeAAAAMAAJ.
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The original article can be found at Chief of Army Staff (Nepal) and the edit history here.