Vice Chief Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth named next Army Chief

New Delhi: Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth has been appointed as the next Chief of Army Staff and will take over from Gen Upendra Dwivedi when he retires on June 30. The officer is presently serving as the Vice Chief of Army Staff and is known for his contributions to defence modernisation and is seen as a champion of Make in India.

Gen Seth comes from an illustrious military family, with his father Lt Gen KM Seth retiring as the Adjutant General of the Army in 1997. Post retirement too, he served as the Governor for three states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura.

Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth has a military career spanning nearly four decades and is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. He belongs to the Armoured Corps and will be the first officer from the cavalry to take over as chief in over two 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," officials said.

People aware of his career profile added that the officer is known to have a deep understanding of the Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem and spent considerable effort in encouraging traditional players as well as start ups to contribute towards modernisation efforts.

The officer commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps - the army's premier strike formation and has also served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. As an Army Commander, he has led both the South Western Command and the Southern Command, before moving to New Delhi as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.

In his staff appointments at the Army HQ - specially in the Strategic Planning and Capability Development verticals - the officer was instrumental in shaping modernisation initiatives, capability roadmap and long-term force structuring efforts.