Chief of the Army Staff (Nepal)

For head of Nepalese Army before COAS, see Chief of the Nepalese Army.

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (Nepali: नेपालको प्रधानसेनापति), informally known as Chief Sa'ab (Nepali: चिफ सा'ब), is the chief commander of the Nepalese Army.

Chief of the Army Staff of the Nepal Army
प्रधानसेनापति
Emblem of Chief of the Army Staff of Nepal
Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff
Incumbent General Ashok Raj Sigdel since 9 September 2024
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 up to 61 years of age[1]
Precursor	Commander-in-Chief of Nepal Army
Formation	15 May 1979; 45 years ago (1979-05-15)
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	Vice Chief of Army Staff
Website	Official website

The Chief of Army Staff is the Chief of the Nepalese Army and reports to the Ministry of Defense. 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 Ashok Raj Sigdel, since 9 September 2024. The Chief of Army Staff also holds the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army.^[2]

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.^[3] During the Rana dynasty, the post of army chief was hereditary. In 1979, General Singha Bahadur Basnyat 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. Since 1950, it has been tradition for the President of India to award the chief of the Nepalese Army with the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army.^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^[5] 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).^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[5]

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.^[5]

Chief of the Army Staff

See also: Chief of the Nepalese Army

No.	Portrait	Chief of Army Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Unit of Commission	Ref.
1		Shah, Singha PratapGeneral Singha Pratap Shah OGDB, OTSP	15 May 1979	15 May 1983	4 years, 0 days	–	–
2		Rana, Arjun NarsinghGeneral Arjun Narsingh Rana OGDB, OTSP	15 May 1983	15 May 1987	4 years, 0 days	–	–
3		Rana, Satchit Shamsher Jang BahadurGeneral Satchit Rana OGDB, OTSP (1934–2007)	15 May 1987	15 May 1991	4 years, 0 days	Shreenath Battalion	–
4		Rana, Gadul Shamsher Jang BahadurGeneral Gadul Shamsher JB Rana OGDB, OTSP (1936–2016)	15 May 1991	4 May 1995	3 years, 354 days	–	[8]
5		Thapa, Dharmapal BarsinghGeneral Dharmapaal Barsingh Thapa OGDB, OTSP (1936–2024)	15 May 1995	15 May 1999	4 years, 0 days	–	–
6		Rana, Prajwalla Shamsher Jang BahadurGeneral Prajwalla Shamsher JB Rana OGDB, OTSP	19 May 1999	9 September 2002	3 years, 113 days	–	–
7		Thapa, Pyar JungGeneral Pyar Jung Thapa	10 September 2002	9 September 2006	3 years, 364 days	–	–
8		Katawal, RookmangudGeneral Rookmangad Katawal (born 1948)	9 September 2006	9 September 2009	3 years, 0 days	Shreenath Battalion	–
9		Gurung, Chhatra Man SinghGeneral Chhatra Man Singh Gurung (born 1952)	9 September 2009	5 September 2012	2 years, 362 days	Shreenath Battalion	–
10		Rana, Gaurav Shumsher JBGeneral Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana (born 1955)	6 September 2012	10 September 2015	3 years, 4 days	Purano Gorakh Battalion	[9]
11		Chhetri, RajendraGeneral Rajendra Chhetri (born 1960)	10 September 2015	8 September 2018	2 years, 363 days	Rajdal Battalion	[7]
12		Thapa, Purna ChandraGeneral Purna Chandra Thapa (born 1960)	9 September 2018	8 September 2021	2 years, 364 days	Gorakh Bahadur Battalion	[1][10] [11]
13		Sharma, PrabhuGeneral Prabhu Ram Sharma (born 1964)	9 September 2021	8 September 2024	2 years, 365 days	Purano Gorakh Battalion	[12][13][14][15]
14		Sigdel, Ashok RajGeneral Ashok Raj Sigdel (born 1967)	9 September 2024	Incumbent	197 days	Devidutta Battalion	[16]

Chief of General Staff

Chief of General Staff (CGS) was the deputy position of the Chief of Army Staff. The CGS was generally ranked as Lieutenant General (three star General). The chief of general staff was assigned to look after intelligence and operations in the Army.^[17] Now, the Vice Chief of Army Staff is the deputy position of the Chief of Army Staff.

No.	Portrait	Chief of General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Unit of Commission	Ref.
–		Chhetri, RajendraGeneral Rajendra Chhetri (born 1960)	February 2015	July 2015	5 months	Rajdal Battalion	[17]
–		Mahat, Baldev RajLieutenant General Baldev Raj Mahat	July 2015	4 November 2017	2 years, 4 months	–	[17][18]
–		Thapa, Purna ChandraGeneral Purna Chandra Thapa (born 1960)	4 November 2017	8 August 2018	277 days	Gorakh Bahadur Battalion	[7][18][19]
–		Kunwar, Hemanta RajLieutenant General Hemanta Raj Kunwar	16 September 2018	23 April 2019	219 days	Naya Gorakh Battalion	[20][21][22]
40		Giri, SaradLieutenant General Sarad Giri	23 April 2019	20 June 2020	1 year, 58 days	Rajdal Battalion	[22][23]
-		Sharma, Prabhu RamLieutenant General Prabhu Ram Sharma (born 1964)	2020	9 August 2021	-	Purano Gorakh Battalion	[15][23]