Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth Appointed Next Chief of Army Staff
New Delhi, June 13 (TNT): The Government of India has appointed Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth as the next Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) with effect from the afternoon of June 30, 2026.
Lt Gen Seth, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, will succeed General Upendra Dwivedi, who is scheduled to retire from service on June 30, a defence release said here on Saturday.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Seth was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986.
During a military career spanning nearly four decades, he has held a wide range of operational, strategic and capability development assignments, contributing significantly to the Indian Army’s modernisation and combat preparedness.
The General Officer has commanded formations at every level across diverse operational environments.
His command 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.
As a Lieutenant General, he commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, one of the Indian Army’s premier strike formations, and later served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, overseeing key military engagements and ceremonial responsibilities in the national capital.
Following his elevation as Army Commander, Lt Gen Seth headed both the South Western Command and the Southern Command, becoming one of the few officers to command two operational Army Commands.
He provided strategic leadership across critical theatres for over two-and-a-half years.
The officer has also held several key appointments at Army Headquarters, particularly in strategic planning and capability development.
He is widely recognised for his role in force modernisation, long-term capability planning and aligning operational requirements with emerging technologies and future battlefield needs.
A distinguished military scholar, Lt Gen Seth has consistently excelled in professional military education. He is a graduate of the Higher Command Course and the National Defence College and has also attended the prestigious Command and Staff Course in Paris.
The appointment comes at a time when the Indian Army is pursuing major reforms, technology-driven modernisation and force restructuring initiatives to address evolving security challenges and future warfare requirements.
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