- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: General Upendra Dwivedi took charge as the new Army Chief on Sunday, June 30. General Dwivedi is the 30th Army Chief. He became the Vice Chief of Army Staff on February 19, this year. On becoming Army Chief, Dwivedi was promoted from Lieutenant General to General rank.
The Government of India had announced his appointment as the Army Chief on the night of June 11. Earlier, he served as Vice Chief of Army, Northern Army Commander, DG Infantry, and head of many other commands in the Army.
General Dwivedi has replaced General Manoj Pandey as Army Chief. General Manoj Pandey retired today. On his last working day, he was given a Guard of Honor by the Army. He remained the Army Chief for 26 months.
Retired General Manoj Pandey was to retire on May 31. However, the government extended his tenure by a month last month. The extension was announced on May 25. Generally, such decisions are not taken in the army.
This move had led to speculation that General Dwivedi could be overlooked for the top post in the army. But with the government’s announcement, all these speculations came to an end.
The seniority concept was followed in the appointment of General Dwivedi.
The government followed the seniority concept in making General Dwivedi the Chief of the Army. At present, the most senior officer in the army after General Dwivedi is Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh. Both General Dwivedi and Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh were to retire on June 30.
The chiefs of the three armies can serve till the age of 62 or three years, whichever is earlier. However, the retirement age of officers with the rank of Lieutenant General is 60 years, unless the officer is approved for the four-star rank.
General Upendra Dwivedi hails from Madhya Pradesh. He studied at Sainik School Rewa and joined the National Defense Academy (NDA) in January 1981. He was commissioned into the 18th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in December 1984.
He later commanded in the Kashmir Valley and the deserts of Rajasthan. General Dwivedi has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and three General Officer Commanding-in-Charge (GOC-in-C) Commendation Cards.
Being passionate about the use of technology, General Dwivedi worked towards expanding the technical boundaries of all ranks in the Northern Command. He promoted critical and emerging technologies such as big data analytics, AI, quantum, and blockchain-based solutions.
General Dwivedi was part of Somalia Headquarters UNOSOM II during his two overseas tenures. He also worked as a military advisor to the Seychelles government. General Dwivedi also attended the High Command Syllabus at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and AWC, Mhow.
He was awarded Distinguished Fellow at USAWC, Carlisle, USA. He holds an MPhil degree in defense and management studies. She also holds two Master’s degrees in Military Science, one of which is from USAWC USA.
