The Centre appointed Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi as the next Army Chief. This decision follows a recent and unusual move by the government to extend the tenure of current Army chief General Manoj Pande, who was originally set to retire on 31 May, by one month.

Lt Gen Dwivedi is set to assume his new role from the afternoon of 30 June 2024, succeeding Gen Pande upon his retirement.

As the former Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Dwivedi currently holds the highest rank in the Army. The standard practice dictates that the most senior Army commander or the Army vice chief assumes the position of Army chief upon the retirement of the incumbent COAS. The retirement age for an Army chief is either upon completion of three years in the role or upon reaching the age of 62, whichever comes first.

The government's decision to extend Gen Pande's tenure by a month, just a week before his scheduled retirement, sparked speculation that it aimed to leave options open for the next government to decide on the selection of the Army Chief.

Lt Gen Dwivedi, born on 1 July 1964, joined the Army's Infantry (Jammu & Kashmir Rifles) on 15 December 1984.

During his distinguished service spanning four decades, Lt Gen Dwivedi has held a range of Command, Staff, Instructional, and Foreign postings. He has commanded the 18 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles regiment, the 26 Sector Assam Rifles brigade, served as Inspector General of Assam Rifles (East), and commanded the 9 Corps.

He additionally served as Director General Infantry and held the position of General Officer Commanding in Chief at Headquarters Northern Command from 2022 to 2024, before assuming the role of Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

The senior officer graduated from Sainik School Rewa and attended the National Defence College and US Army War College. He achieved the distinction of 'Distinguished Fellow' during the equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA.

Furthermore, he holds an M Phil in Defence and Management Studies along with two Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science.

Image source: ANI