NEW Delhi: Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, currently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS), will take over as the next Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) on June 30, succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi, who retires the same day.
Lt. Gen. Seth’s appointment marks the return of an Armoured Corps officer to the Army’s top post after nearly three decades. The last officer from the Armoured Corps to serve as Army Chief was General Shankar Roy Chowdhary of 20 Lancers, who retired in 1997.
Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986 after graduating from the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Lt. Gen. Seth is affiliated with Skinner’s Horse and has held a wide range of command, staff and instructional appointments during a career spanning nearly four decades.
He has commanded an Armoured Regiment in the desert sector, the 98 Armoured Brigade and a counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir. At higher levels, he commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, and subsequently headed both the South Western Command and Southern Command before being appointed Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
His staff assignments have included appointments related to operational planning, capability development and force modernisation at Army Headquarters. He has also served with the United Nations Mission in Angola.
Lt. Gen. Seth takes over at a time when the Army is pursuing a range of modernisation initiatives, including force restructuring, technology induction and efforts to enhance operational preparedness along the northern and western borders.
Known for his emphasis on integrated and technology-enabled warfare, he has been associated with the Army’s efforts to bring together combat arms, emerging technologies and joint operational concepts. As Southern Army Commander, he oversaw large-scale exercises involving armour, artillery, aviation, air defence and unmanned systems in integrated battlefield formations.
The approach gained added relevance after Operation Sindoor, which underscored the growing role of drones, precision strikes, air defence and networked warfare.
It dovetails with the Army’s ongoing transformation through new formations such as the Rudra Brigade, Bhairav Battalions and Ashni Platoons, designed to deliver greater integration, mobility and combat punch on the battlefield.
