Bhopal/ New Delhi July 1, 2026

General Dhiraj Seth on Tuesday assumed charge as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi, who retired after more than four decades of distinguished service in the Indian Army. Before taking over as Army Chief, General Seth was serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

Commissioned into the 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) of the Armoured Corps on 20 December 1986, General Seth is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. With nearly four decades of military service, he becomes the first officer from the Armoured Corps to head the Indian Army since General Shankar Roy Chowdhary retired in 1997.

The new Army Chief also shares a significant connection with Madhya Pradesh. As a Lieutenant General, he commanded the Bhopal-headquartered XXI Corps, popularly known as the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, one of the Indian Army's principal strike formations responsible for maintaining operational readiness across key theatres.

According to the Ministry of Defence, General Seth has commanded formations at every level in diverse operational environments. His field assignments include an Armoured Regiment in the desert sector, an Armoured Brigade in the western theatre and a Counter-Insurgency Force in Jammu and Kashmir. After leading the XXI Corps, he served as the General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, where he oversaw key operational, administrative and ceremonial responsibilities.

On promotion to the rank of Army Commander, General Seth headed both the South Western Command and the Southern Command, becoming one of the few senior officers to command two operational Army Commands. During this tenure, he provided strategic oversight across important operational theatres for more than two-and-a-half years, the Ministry said.

At Army Headquarters, General Seth held several important appointments in the Strategic Planning and Capability Development verticals. According to the Ministry of Defence, he played a key role in advancing the Army's modernisation agenda, long-term force structuring and the integration of emerging technologies into future battlefield planning.

General Seth has also built an impressive academic and professional military profile. He is a graduate of the Higher Command Course and the National Defence College, besides

attending the Command and Staff Course in Paris, further strengthening his expertise in strategic planning and contemporary military affairs.

The Bhopal connection extends beyond General Seth's own career. His father, Lieutenant General Krishna Mohan Seth (Retd.), had also commanded the Bhopal-based XXI Corps before later serving as the Governor of Chhattisgarh and as the Acting Governor of Madhya Pradesh, making them a rare father-son duo to have led the same prestigious formation.

According to the Ministry of Defence, General Seth's extensive operational experience, leadership across multiple theatres and focus on capability development position him to lead the Indian Army as it continues its modernisation and transformation to meet emerging security challenges.