By Maj Gen Sudhakar Jee, VSM (Retd)
New Delhi: Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, who takes over as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on June 30, comes with vast operational experience in dealing with China and Pakistan and currently serves as the 46th Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
He succeeds General Manoj Pande, the 29th and the current Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army. Born on July 1, 1964, Lt Gen Dwivedi is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
Commissioned into the 18th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment on December 15, 1984, he commanded the same Battalion at Chowkibal in Kashmir valley during Operation Rakshak and the deserts of Rajasthan, a Sector of the Assam Rifles in Manipur.
He served in Assam as Inspector General Assam Rifles (East) and held various other Staff and Command appointments in the North East. He has had a unique distinction of balanced exposure to both Northern and Western theatres in India.
The General Officer has held several important command, staff, instructional, and foreign assignments throughout his nearly 40-year-long distinguished career before his appointment as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
During his illustrious career, Lt Gen Dwivedi has tenanted various staff appointments in the Headquarter Armored Brigade, Mountain Division, Strike Corps, and Integrated HQ, MoD (Army). His previous appointments include serving as an instructor at the Indian Military Academy and directing staff at the Higher Command Wing in the Army War College, Mhow.
His two overseas tenures include Somalia as part of HQ UNOSOM II and Military Attaché to the Government of Seychelles. As Director General of Infantry, he fast-tracked the long pending Capital procurement of modern and state-of-the-art weapons for all three services thereby enhancing the combat capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces.
In February 2020, the General was appointed as a commander of a Corps. A year later in April 2021, he took over as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Coordination) wherein he provided an impetus to automation and absorption of niche tech in the Indian Army.
On February 1, 2022, he took over as the General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command. Being a technology enthusiast, he worked towards enhancing the tech threshold of all ranks in Northern Command and pushed for Critical & Emerging Technologies like big data analytics, artificial Intelligence, and quantum and blockchain-based solutions.
He was also involved in the modernization and equipping of the largest Army Command of the Indian Army, where he drove the induction of Indigenous equipment as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu, and Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow, the National Defence College.
At the US Army War College in Carlisle, USA, he received the award of ‘Distinguished Fellow’. He is armed with an M Phil in Defence & Management Studies, and two Master's degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science, including one from the United States Army War College.
He has been honored with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and three General officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) Commendation Cards. As the Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Dwivedi provided strategic guidance and operational oversight for sustained operations along the northern and western borders.
He restored normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir by providing strategic directions for the successful conduct of effective counter-terrorism operations that led to the emergence of a conducive environment for infrastructure and socio-economic developments as well as the smooth conduct of the G20 meet in Srinagar.
The unprecedented tourist footfall of over 2.11 crores in 2023 in Kashmir valley besides the increasing economic activities are a testimony of the General Officer’s deep involvement and commitment towards restoration of normalcy in the region.
During this period, he further enhanced India’s security architecture along the northern borders into robust defenses in response to the extended stand-off triggered by China. He also actively participated in the ongoing negotiations with China to address the complex border issues.
Lt Gen Dwivedi would have his bags full as the COAS at a juncture where India, marching ahead to be the third largest economy in the world in the foreseeable future, is expected to address both external as well as internal security challenges so that the economy can ride on internal stability and external peace.
(Major General Sudhakar Jee, VSM (Retd), is a former Colonel of the Mahar Regiment who served in the Indian Army for over 37 years.)
