The Centre on Tuesday appointed Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, who is serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff, a government statement said.

Lt. General Dwivedi will assume the charges on June 30, while General Manoj C Pande, the present Chief of the Army Staff, will demit the office on the same day.

Born on July 1, 1964, Dwivedi was commissioned into the Infantry (Jammu & Kashmir Rifles) of the Army in December 1984.

“During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff, Instructional and Foreign appointments,” a government statement said.

“The Command appointments of Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi include Command of Regiment (18 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles), Brigade (26 Sector Assam Rifles), DIG, Assam Rifles (East) and 9 Corps,” it added.

In the rank of Lt. General, Lt Gen Dwivedi has tenanted important appointments including that of Director General Infantry and General Officer Commanding in Chief of Headquarter Northern Command from 2022-2024, before getting appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

He is an alumnus of the Sainik School Rewa, National Defence College and US Army War College. He has also undergone courses at the DSSC Wellington and Army War College, Mhow.

Dwivedi was conferred ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the coveted NDC equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, US. He also holds an M-Phil in Defence and Management Studies and two Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science.

In May this year, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet had granted one month extension in tenure to outgoing Chief of the Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande beyond his retirement date in a rare move.

General Pande was due to retire on May 31 on turning 62 years of age, but his tensure was extended upto June 30. Normally, the tenure for Service Chiefs is 62 years of age or three years whichever is earlier.