Lt Gen Dhiraj Shet. (Photo: Indian Army)
New Delhi: Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, the current vice-chief of Army staff (VCOAS), has been named the next chief of the Indian Army, the government announced on Saturday. He will succeed General Upendra Dwivedi, who retires on June 30, and is expected to assume office as the 31st chief of the Army staff the same day in the afternoon.
With nearly four decades of operational and strategic experience, Lt Gen Seth has been closely associated with the Army’s modernization drive. He has held several influential appointments in strategic planning and capability development – including colonel, capability development (mechanized forces), and brigadier, perspective planning and acquisition – contributing significantly to the Army’s Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986. His field commands have spanned an armoured regiment in desert terrain, an armoured brigade in a developed sector, and a counterinsurgency force in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), one of the country’s most sensitive operational theatres. On his promotion to lieutenant general, he took command of the Bhopal-based XXI Corps, also known as the Sudarshan Chakra Corps – one of the Army’s key strike formations.
In a rare distinction, Lt Gen Seth has commanded two major operational formations as an Army commander, having served as general officer commanding in chief (GOC-in-C) of both the South Western Command and the Southern Command, where he played a key role in strengthening India’s military posture along the western front.
On the academic front, he stood first in the Junior Command Course and was awarded the Best All-Round Student Officer medal at the Defence Services Staff College. He has also attended the Higher Command Course, the National Defence College, and the Command and Staff Course in Paris.
As vice-chief, Lt Gen Seth currently holds the second-highest position in the Army, ranking below only the Army chief, with responsibilities spanning operational readiness, modernization, strategic planning, and coordination across commands and formations nationwide. He now steps into the top job at a time when the Army faces high-stakes priorities – from the operational lessons of Operation Sindoor and the push for indigenous platforms, to force restructuring under the theatre command construct and persistent border tensions.
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