New Delhi, June 11: The Indian Government on Tuesday appointed Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi as the next Army Chief of India. The development comes in just over two weeks after the the government in an unusual move extended the tenure of current Army chief General Manoj Pande who was to retire on May 31, by a month.

Lt Gen Dwivedi will now take over the new appointment from the afternoon of June 30, 2024, when Gen Pande demits office.

According to the Indian Media, The former Northern Army Commander is the seniormost officer in the Army at present and the norm is to appoint the most senior Army commander or the Army vice chief is made the Army chief when the serving COAS retires. The Army chief retires on completion of three years in the appointment or on attaining the age of 62, whichever is earlier.

The government’s decision to extend the tenure of Gen Pande by a month, barely a week before his retirement, had given rise to speculations that it wants to keep options open for the next government to decide on the selection of the Army Chief.

Born on July 01, 1964, Lt Gen Dwivedi was commissioned into the Infantry (Jammu & Kashmir Rifles) of the Army on December 15, 1984.

During his long and distinguished service spanning four decades, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff, Instructional and Foreign appointments. His Command appointments include Command of Regiment (18 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles), Brigade (26 Sector Assam Rifles), as Inspector General, Assam Rifles (East) and 9 Corps.

He has also served as Director General Infantry and General Officer Commanding in Chief (Headquarter Northern Command) from 2022-2024, before getting appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

The senior officer is an alumnus of the Sainik School Rewa, National Defence College and US Army War College, he was conferred ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the coveted NDC equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA.

The officer holds an M Phil in Defence and Management Studies and two Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science.