Change of guard: Gen Dhiraj Seth becomes Army Chief, first Armoured Corps officer since 1997

Gen Dhiraj Seth takes over as Army chief, first officer from Armoured Corps since 1997

NEW DELHI: General Dhiraj Seth on Tuesday became the first officer from Armoured Corps since 1997 to take over as Army chief from General Upendra Dwivedi, who superannuated after more than four decades of distinguished service to the nation.

Before Gen Seth, Gen Shankar Roy Chowdhary was also from the Armoured Corps who led the Army and retired in 1997.The change of command on Tuesday was marked with a ceremony at South Block Lawns in New Delhi, where Gen Dwivedi was given a special send-off. In his last speech as Army chief on Tuesday, Gen Dwivedi said “wars will be more joint, integrated and theatre-oriented in future”, therefore the direction of the armed forces is clear “to see together, take decisions together and take actions together”.

“My journey from the Sainik School to this position has been unforgettable.

Serving in the Indian Army has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Gen Dwivedi said.Gen Seth, a straight-talker, is also the officer who commanded South Western Command and Southern Command, earning the rare distinction of commanding two operational Army Commands and providing strategic oversight across critical theatres for over a period of two and half years.

His key priorities as Army chief are likely to be on accelerating force modernisation, triservice synergy, enhancing operational readiness along borders, and integrating advanced technologies like AI, drones, and cyber resilience into a self-reliant, future-ready force.An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Seth was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in Dec 1986. Over a distinguished military career spanning nearly four decades, he has had extensive experience across the operational, strategic, capability development and institutional domains, contributing significantly to the Indian Army’s combat effectiveness and long-term transformation.The General Officer has commanded at every level in diverse operational environments. His command assignments include an Armoured Regiment in the Desert Sector, an Armoured Brigade in the western theatre, and a counter-insurgency force in J&K.As a Lt General, he commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, one of the Indian Army’s premier strike formations. He subsequently served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, overseeing key national and international military engagements and ceremonial responsibilities. He has held several key staff and strategic appointments that have significantly influenced operational planning, force management and capability development.