The Narendra Modi-led central government on Tuesday announced Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi as the next chief of the army staff.
According to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry, Lieutenant General 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.
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.@PMOIndia@DefenceMinIndia @giridhararamane pic.twitter.com/3H7kKmjGGO
— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) June 11, 2024
Lt General Dwivedi is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, and was commissioned into the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles on December 18, 1984. Subsequently, he assumed command of the aforementioned unit.
During his over 39 years of military service, Lieutenant General Dwivedi commanded his unit in the Kashmir valley as well as the Rajasthan sector. Furthermore, he held the position of 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. He has also served as deputy chief at Army Headquarters.
Lt Gen Dwivedi would be taking over as the 30th army chief, 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 commander of the Northern Army, Lieutenant General Dwivedi provided strategic guidance and operational oversight for the planning and execution of sustained operations along the northern and western borders, officials said, as well as for the dynamic counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
During this period, the officer was actively involved in the ongoing negotiations with China to resolve the contentious border issue, as stated by them. He was also involved in the modernization and equipping of the largest Army command of the Indian Army, where he led the introduction of indigenous equipment as a component of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)
