Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, June 30

General Dhiraj Seth assumed office as India’s new Chief of the Army Staff on Tuesday, taking command of the 1.3 million-strong force at a time of evolving security challenges and an accelerating military modernisation programme.

Seth succeeded General Upendra Dwivedi, who retired after more than four decades of military service.

Previously serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Seth becomes the 31st Army chief and inherits leadership of the force amid a rapidly changing strategic environment marked by technological advances, evolving patterns of warfare and persistent security challenges along India’s borders.

Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986 after graduating from the National Defence Academy, Seth has served in a range of operational, command and strategic appointments during a military career spanning nearly four decades.

He is among the few senior officers to have commanded both the South Western Command and the Southern Command, two major operational formations responsible for India’s western theatre.

His field experience includes command of an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade, a strike corps and a counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to senior appointments overseeing strategic planning, force development and military modernisation.

Before becoming Vice Chief in April last year, Seth headed the Pune-based Southern Command, where he oversaw operational preparedness during Operation Sindoor, according to the Defence Ministry.

The ministry has credited him with playing a significant role in shaping the Army’s long-term capability development, force restructuring and integration of emerging technologies into operational planning.

Seth has also attended several advanced military education programmes, including the Higher Command Course, the National Defence College and the Command and Staff Course in Paris, reflecting a career that has combined operational leadership with strategic planning.

He assumes command as the Indian Army continues efforts to enhance indigenous defence capabilities, modernise equipment and adapt to increasingly technology-driven military operations.