One of the largest armies in the world, the Indian Army is going to get its new chief on the last day of this month. The Government of India has announced that Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi will take over as Army Chief from General Manoj C Pande on June 30. Lieutenant General Dwivedi, decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, is currently the Deputy Chief of the Indian Army and will take over on the afternoon of June 30, the day General Pande will be relieved from the post.
Born on 1 July 1964, Lieutenant General Dwivedi was commissioned to the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, on 15 December 1984. According to the rule of 60 years of age, Lieutenant General Dwivedi should have retired on 30 June itself, but according to the changed rules, he can be given the opportunity of military service till the age of 62. Such a rule is for a 4-star General officer. This rule is for the post of the chiefs of all the three armed forces. Such an officer can be the Army Chief for a maximum of three years or till the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
By the way, the case of the current Army Chief General Manoj Pande is one of the exceptions. He was to retire last month i.e. in May, but the government extended his tenure as Army Chief by one month i.e. till 30 June. General Manoj C Pande was appointed the Army Chief on 30 April 2022.
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has held various responsibilities in his 40 years of military service. His command appointments include command of a regiment (18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles), brigade (26 Sector Assam Rifles), DIG, Assam Rifles (East) and 9 Corps, a government release said yesterday (Tuesday, June 11, 2014). As Lieutenant General, Mr Dwivedi has held several important positions including Director General of Infantry (dg infantry) and General Officer Commanding in Chief (GoC in Chief) of Northern Command from 2022 to 2024 before being appointed Deputy Chief of Army.
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, who has studied at Sainik School, National Defense College and US Army War College (us army war college) in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, has also done courses from DSSC Wellington and Army War College (Mhow). He was awarded ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the prestigious NDC equivalent course at the US Army War College in Carlisle.
Lieutenant General Dwivedi holds an M Phil in Defence and Management Studies and two master’s degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science. He has also been awarded three GOC-in-C Commendation Cards.
