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Who is Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, India's new Chief of Army Staff?

Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth has assumed office today (June 30) as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff. Seth will be the seventh officer from the Armoured Corps to assume the post and has served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, General Seth was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986. Photo. Image courtesy: X

FP Explainers|Jun 30, 2026, 14:39:07 IST

India gets its new Army chief. His name is Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, who has served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff. Lt Gen Seth has assumed office today (June 30) as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff. He is succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi upon his retirement.

The outgoing Army chief has handed over responsibility for leading the country's terrestrial armed forces to General Seth. General Upendra Dwivedi called this journey the "greatest privilege" of his life.

Expressing confidence in his successor, General Dwivedi described his successor, General Seth as a "seasoned soldier and capable leader." Seth will be the seventh officer from the Armoured Corps to assume the post. But who is India's new Army chief?

Who is Lt General Dhiraj Seth?

The officer at the helm, General Seth comes from a military family. He is the son of Lieutenant General Krishna Mohan Seth, former Adjutant General of the Indian Army and former Governor of Tripura and Chhattisgarh.

Lt Gen Seth has championed professional military education. He topped the Junior Command Course and also earned the prestigious Best All Round Student Officer medal at the Defence Services Staff College.

He is also an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun; the Higher Command Course; and the Command and Staff Course in Paris. According to reports, he has also attended military courses in the US.

Lt Gen Seth joined the service in December 1986 and was commissioned into the Armoured Corps. Throughout his career, he has played a vital role in the modernisation and capability building of the Indian Army.

Lt Gen Seth has been an integral part of several strategic appointments, with a focus on strategic planning and acquisitions. He also played a pivotal role in formulating the Indian Army's Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan and modernisation strategy.

Lt Gen Seth has held different operational commands; however, apart from these, he also commanded strategic positions like: Brigade Major of an Independent Armoured Brigade in Jammu & Kashmir, Operations Officer United Nations (UN) Mission in Angola, Assistant Military Secretary at Army Headquarters, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters South Western Command and Director General Discipline, Ceremonial and Welfare, NDTV reported.

In these capacities, he helped shape the Indian Army's Long-Term Integrated Perspective Planning process and future capability development roadmap.

Lt Gen Seth has overseen crucial operational preparedness and training activities such as large-scale joint and tri-service exercises centred on emerging domains, including cyber, information warfare, multi-domain operations and amphibious capabilities, the Hindu reported.

Coming to his extensive command experience: he has commanded an Armoured Regiment in the desert sector, an Armoured Brigade in the developed sector and a Counter Insurgency Force in J&K.

Following which, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. The significant breakthrough in this career was when he commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps and subsequently served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Delhi area.

In his tenure as Army Commander, Lt Gen Seth commanded both the South Western Command and the Southern Command, making him one of the rare few officers in the Indian Army to have led two operational Army Commands on the western front.

He has experience in various operational sectors, including desert formations and counter-insurgency operations in J&K.

India's upcoming Army Chief is a highly accomplished officer of the Armoured Corps with over 39 years of service experience.

Lt Gen Seth will remain in office until August 31, 2028. General S Roy Chowdhury was the last Armoured Corps officer to head the Indian Army, serving as Chief of the Army Staff between 1994 and 1997.