Lt Gen Dwivedi Named New Army Chief of India

The Narendra Modi-led central government has announced Lt General Upendra Dwivedi as the next Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).

According to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry, Lt Gen Dwivedi will take charge from the current Army chief, General Manoj Pande, on June 30.

“(The) government has appointed Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30, 2024,” Defence Ministry spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu said in a post on X.

An alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, Lt General Dwivedi was commissioned into the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles on December 18, 1984. He later also commanded the same unit.

In his over 39 years of military service, Lt General Dwivedi commanded his unit in the Kashmir valley as well as in the Rajasthan sector. He also served as Sector Commander and Inspector General (IG) of Assam Rifles in the North East sector of the country.

Lt Gen Dwivedi has also served as deputy chief at Army Headquarters and headed the 9th Corps in Himachal Pradesh.

As the 30th Army Chief, Lt Gen Dwivedi would be taking over after stints as Vice Chief of Army Staff, Northern Army Commander (from 2022 to 2024), DG Infantry, and many other command appointments in the force.

As Northern Army commander, Lt Gen Dwivedi provided strategic guidance and operational oversight for planning and execution of sustained operations along the northern and western borders, besides orchestrating dynamic counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

During this period, the officer was actively engaged in ongoing negotiations with China to resolve the vexed border issue. He was also involved in the modernization and equipping of the largest Army command of the Indian Army, where he steered the induction of indigenous equipment as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).