Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi to take over as Indian Army chief today

New Delhi, June 29: Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi will take over as the next chief of the Indian Army on Sunday.

He will succeed Gen Manoj Pande on completion of his 26-month tenure.

Lt Gen Dwivedi would be the 30th Chief of the Army Staff and is taking over at a time when the force is undergoing major modernisation through indigenisation along with structural reforms.

Lt Gen Dwivedi has had a long tenure as the Northern Army Commander where he has had long exposure to the ongoing operations in the military standoff on the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The government appointed Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30, 2024.

Born on July 1, 1964, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi was commissioned into the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984.

During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff, instructional, and foreign appointments.

The command appointments of Lt Gen Dwivedi include Command of 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Battalion, 26 Sector Assam Rifles brigade, Inspector General, Assam Rifles (East) and 9 Corps.

In the rank of Lt Gen, the officer has tenanted important appointments including that of Director General Infantry.

An alumnus of Sainik School Rewa, National Defence College and US Army War College, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi has also undergone courses at the DSSC Wellington and Army War College, Mhow.

In addition, the officer was conferred a ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the coveted NDC equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA.

The officer has an M Phil in Defence and Management Studies and two Masters Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science.