The Union government on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi as the next Army Chief. He will take over from General Manoj Pande on June 30.
“The government has appointed Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30, 2024. The present Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj C. Pande, demits office on June 30, 2024,” the Defence Ministry said in a late-evening statement.
The development comes just over two weeks after the government, in an unusual move, extended the tenure of current Army chief General Manoj Pande who was to retire on May 31, by a month. This move had given rise to speculations that it was made so that the new government to decide on the selection of the Army Chief.
Seniormost officer
The former Northern Army Commander is the seniormost officer in the Army at present and the norm is to appoint the most senior Army commander or the Army vice chief is made the Army chief when the serving Chief of the Army Staff retires. The Army chief retires on completion of three years in the appointment or on attaining the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
Born on July 01, 1964, Lt Gen Dwivedi was commissioned into the Infantry (Jammu & Kashmir Rifles) of the Army on December 15, 1984. The officer holds an M Phil in Defence and Management Studies and two Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science.
During his long and distinguished service spanning four decades, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff, Instructional and Foreign appointments. His Command appointments include Command of Regiment (18 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles), Brigade (26 Sector Assam Rifles), as Inspector General, Assam Rifles (East) and 9 Corps.
