New Delhi: General Dhiraj Seth officially assumed command as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff on Tuesday, taking the reins of the 1.3 million-strong Indian Army. An accomplished military professional with nearly four decades of distinguished service, General Seth assumes top command at a critical juncture as the force accelerates its transition toward self-reliance, modern technological integration, and future-readiness. He succeeded General Upendra Dwivedi, who retired on Tuesday afternoon following an illustrious military career extending across more than 40 years.
Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986, General Seth is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. Notably, he holds the historic distinction of being the first officer from the Armoured Corps to lead the Indian Army since General Shankar Roy Chowdhary retired nearly three decades ago in 1997. Prior to taking over as the ultimate chief of the force, General Seth played a vital role in shaping the military’s ongoing institutional reforms and capital acquisitions during his recent tenure as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, an appointment he took over on April 1.
Throughout his expansive military career, General Seth has accumulated rich operational experience by commanding critical formations across diverse terrains and complex conflict zones. He holds the rare distinction of heading two separate operational commands along the western front facing Pakistan, having successfully served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of both the Jaipur-based South Western Command and the Pune-based Southern Command. Under his leadership last year, the elite Southern Command notably maintained an exceptionally high degree of combat readiness during Operation Sindoor.
His extensive command profile spans assignments at every echelon of the military structure, including leading an Armoured Regiment in the volatile Desert Sector, managing an Armoured Brigade in the Western Theatre, and steering a Counter-Insurgency Force in Jammu and Kashmir. As a lieutenant general, he went on to command the Bhopal-based Sudarshan Chakra Corps, which stands as one of the premier strike formations of the Indian Army, before serving as the General Officer Commanding of the Delhi Area to manage major national military engagements.
Beyond battlefield leadership, General Seth has spent years tenanted in pivotal appointments within the Strategic Planning and Capability Development verticals at the Army Headquarters. His contributions have been highly instrumental in shaping the army’s long-term force structuring initiatives and aligning daily operational requirements with emerging automated technologies. Academically distinguished, General Seth graduated from the Higher Command Course and the National Defence College, alongside attending the prestigious Command and Staff Course in Paris, bringing a deep global perspective to the evolving dynamics of modern non-contact warfare.
