Upendra Dwivedi Assumes Role of Indian Army Chief as Manoj Pande Retires

General Dwivedi was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff before his recent appointment. Throughout his career, he has received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and three General Officer Commanding-in-Charge (GOC-in-C) commendation cards. He hails from Madhya Pradesh and attended Sainik School Rewa before joining the National Defence Academy (NDA) in January 1981.

Following his commissioning into the 18th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in December 1984, General Dwivedi went on to command this battalion in the Kashmir Valley and the deserts of Rajasthan. He has excelled in sports since his school days, earning recognition at the NDA and the Indian Military Academy (IMA) as well as receiving a gold medal in the physical training course post-commissioning. Having served in varied terrains and operational environments, including deserts, high altitudes, riverine, built-up areas, northeast, and Jammu and Kashmir, General Dwivedi garnered a balanced exposure across the northern, western, and eastern theatres.

He has also led his battalion in counter-terrorist operations in Kashmir valley and Rajasthan’s deserts. During his career, General Dwivedi served as the Inspector General Assam Rifles (IGAR-GOC) and Sector Commander of the Assam Rifles, contributing to intense counter-terrorist operations. He was also involved in pioneering the first compendium on Indo-Myanmar border management and later commanded the Rising Star Corps along the western front and the Northern Army from 2022-2024, where he provided strategic guidance and operational oversight for various border operations, including in Jammu and Kashmir.

General Dwivedi has been instrumental in modernizing and equipping the Indian Army, focusing on the induction of indigenous equipment as part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.’ His extensive staff exposures include handling conventional operations in the plains of Punjab, providing logistical support to a Mountain Division in the northeast, and overseeing operations of a Strike Corps in deserts. In addition to his service in India, General Dwivedi also had overseas tenures in Somalia as part of HQ UNOSOM II and in Seychelles as Military Advisor to the government.

He is a skilled yoga practitioner and is married to Sunita Dwivedi, who is associated with Aarushi, an institute for differently abled children in Bhopal. The couple has two daughters. On the other hand, the outgoing army chief, General Pande, was the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Chief of the Army Staff.

A National Defence Academy alumnus, General Pande was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in December 1982 and commanded an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram in the Pallanwala sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.