General Dheeraj Seth took over as the 31st Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army on Tuesday (30 June 2026). He has replaced Upendra Dwivedi, whose tenure has now ended. General Dheeraj Seth is an experienced officer of the Indian Army. He comes from the Armored Corps and has also previously served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff. The special thing is that after the retirement of Shankar Roy Choudhary in 1997, he is the first officer from the Armored Corps to become the Army Chief.

Before becoming the new Army Chief, General Seth was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command. Before this, he had also commanded South Verston Command. He has also served as General Officer Commanding Delhi Area and General Officer Commanding XXI Corps. He is also the Colonel of the Regiment of the Armed Corps.

General Dheeraj Seth’s long military career

General Dheeraj Seth was commissioned in the 2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse) in the year 1986. In his long military career, he has performed many important responsibilities. He has commanded both Pune-based Southern Command and Jaipur-based South Western Command. Both these commands are considered very important from the point of view of Pakistan border. He is among the few generals who have led two different commands. Apart from this, he has also taken command of 21 Corps based in Bhopal. He has also commanded a counter-insurgency force, an armored brigade and an armored regiment in Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from command roles, General Seth has also held many important responsibilities related to strategic planning and modern technology of the Army. His contribution towards the modernization of the army is considered important.

Big responsibility on the shoulders of General Dheeraj Seth

General Dheeraj Seth has taken over as Army Chief at a time when the Indian Army is going through a period of major change. The Army is considering this time as a decade of transformation. Many major changes can be seen in the army during his tenure. These include fully implementing Integrated Battle Groups, rapidly incorporating new technologies and increasing the use of drones in the army. Apart from this, there will also be special emphasis on taking the Integrated Theater Command forward during his tenure. This will create better coordination between the three armies, Army, Navy and Air Force. Retired Lieutenant General PR Shankar says that the biggest challenge before the new Army Chief will be to prepare the army for modern warfare.

General Dheeraj Seth’s family

General Dheeraj Seth is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy, Indian Military Academy, Command and Staff Course, Paris and National Defense College. He has received major military honors like Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. General Dheeraj Seth comes from a military family. His father Krishna Mohan Seth had retired as Lieutenant General. He has also been Adjutant General and later Governor of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura. Both father and son have commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, which is considered a special achievement in itself. His younger brother Ravnish Seth is a Rear Admiral in the Indian Navy and is currently posted in Karwar.

Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth: The country is going to get a new army chief soon. General Upendra Dwivedi is retiring after completing his tenure on 30 June 2026 and in his place Lieutenant General Dheeraj Seth has been appointed as the next Army Chief of India. At present he is holding the post of 49th Deputy Army Chief of the country and on June 30, he will take command as the 31st Army Chief. The special thing is that his tenure will last till 31 August 2028. Let us know a little more about Dheeraj Seth, who has received big honors like PVSM, UYSM and AVSM.

Journey from studies to army

Talking about Dheeraj Seth’s education, he has studied from many big and well-known military institutions of the country. He has studied in all these institutions like National Defense Academy Khadakwasla, Indian Military Academy Dehradun, Defense Services Staff College Wellington, Army War College Mhow and National Defense College New Delhi. Since taking commission in the Armed Corps on 20 December 1986, he has spent nearly four decades in the Indian Army.

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Be it commanding an armed regiment in the desert sector, counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir or the role of operations officer in the United Nations Mission in Angola, he remained steadfast everywhere. Besides, after becoming Lieutenant General, he also took command of 21 Strike Corps and Delhi Area. In this long journey, he has worked on all three important positions – command, staff and training.

Father has also been an army officer

Lieutenant General Dheeraj Seth’s relationship with the army is not at all new, it is a tradition in his house. His father Lieutenant General Krishna Mohan Seth also served in the Indian Army and retired as Adjutant General in 1997. Also, he was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025 and Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2026.

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