Lt General Upendra Dwivedi Appointed as Next Army Chief
Lt General Upendra Dwivedi appointed as the next Army Chief of India, succeeding General Manoj Pandey.
Lt General Upendra Dwivedi will be the next Army Chief. Currently, he serves as the Vice Chief of the Indian Army. General Manoj Pandey, the current Army Chief, will retire this month. Recently, the Modi government granted him a one-month extension, which is about to end.
General Manoj Pandey will retire on 30 June 2024. Born on 1 July 1964, Lt General Dwivedi was commissioned into the Infantry Division of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles of the Indian Army on 15 December 1984. In his career spanning nearly 40 years, he has held numerous command, staff, instructional, and foreign appointments. He has led the Command of Regiment (18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles), Brigade (26 Sector Assam Rifles), DIG, Assam Rifles (East), and 9 Corps.
Vice Chief of Army Staff
While holding the post of Lieutenant General, this distinguished officer has held very important and sensitive posts such as Director General Infantry and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Headquarters Northern Command) from 2022 to 2024. Following this, he was appointed the Vice Chief of Army Staff.
Lt. Gen Upendra Dwivedi has studied at prestigious institutions like Sainik School Rewa, National Defence College, and the US Army War College. Additionally, he has completed courses at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and Army War College, Mhow. He holds an MPhil in Defence and Management Studies and a Masters in Strategic Studies and Military Sciences.
Honors and Contributions
Lt. Gen Dwivedi has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, High Altitude Medal, Special Service Medal, and Foreign Service Medal. He has also significantly contributed to modernizing the Indian Army's weapons. Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme, he was involved in incorporating indigenous weapons.
He has been recognized as a 'Distinguished Fellow' at the National Defence College equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA. Lt. Gen Dwivedi is married to Sunita Dwivedi, a science graduate who manages their household. Sunita Dwivedi is associated with an organization called Aarushi, which works for differently-abled children in Bhopal. The couple has two daughters.