New Delhi: Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, an Armoured Corps officer and currently the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), was Friday appointed the new Army chief and will take over from Gen Upendra Dwivedi on the afternoon of 30 June.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986.
He will be the first Armoured Corps officer to be the Army chief since 1997, when Gen Shankar Roy Chowdhary of 20 Lancers retired.
With about four decades in service, the officer has served across diverse terrain and conflict environments.
He has commanded an armoured regiment in the desert sector and commanded the Patiala-based 98 Armoured Brigade which was part of the then Pakistan focused 1 Strike Corps. He has also commanded the Uniform Force, a Division level formation, part of the counter-insurgency grid, in Jammu & Kashmir.
On promotion to Lieutenant General, he commanded the 21 Strike Corps and later served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area.
On elevation to the rank of Army Commander, he served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command and Southern Command, gaining the rare distinction of commanding two operational commands along the Western Front.
Lt Gen Seth has held key staff and strategic appointments, including Brigade Major of an independent armoured brigade in Jammu & Kashmir, Operations Officer with the United Nations Mission in Angola, Assistant Military Secretary at Army Headquarters, Brigadier General Staff Operations at Headquarters South Western Command and Director General Discipline, Ceremonial and Welfare.
He has also tenanted key appointments in Strategic Planning and Capability Development Directorates, including Colonel Capability Development for Mechanised Forces, Brigadier Perspective Plans and Acquisition, and Additional Director General Capability Development, contributing significantly to the Indian Army’s long-term integrated perspective plan and modernisation roadmap.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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