Lt General Upendra Dwivedi takes charge as vice chief of Army
Dwivedi’s appointment as vice chief is significant as he is the front-runner for the army chief’s post by virtue of being the seniormost officer when General Manoj Pande retires on 31 May 2024
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday took over as the vice chief of the Indian Army, replacing Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar who moved on to take charge of the Udhampur-based Northern Command. The two generals have swapped positions.
Dwivedi’s appointment as vice chief is significant as he is the front-runner for the army chief’s post by virtue of being the seniormost officer when General Manoj Pande retires on 31 May 2024.
Before taking charge, he paid tribute at the National War Memorial and inspected a guard of honour at the South Block lawn. Dwivedi served as the Northern Army commander from February 2022 to February 2024 in a challenging operational environment.
An alumnus of Sainik School in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy, the general was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984 and has had a balanced exposure to both the northern and western theatres, the army said in a statement.
The Northern Command is responsible for guarding the country’s borders with Pakistan and China and is the nerve centre of counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Dwivedi has rich experience in operations, intelligence, operational logistics, force structuring and modernisation initiatives.
“As Northern Army commander, he provided strategic guidance and operational oversight for planning and execution of sustained operations along the northern and western borders, besides orchestrating dynamic counter-terrorism operations in J&K. He was actively engaged in the ongoing negotiations with China in resolving the vexed border issue,” the statement said, adding that he also steered the induction of indigenous equipment as part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative in the defence sector.
India and China have been locked in a fierce military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since May 2020, and a full resolution of the border crisis through ongoing negotiations still appears elusive.
In a military career spanning 39 years, Dwivedi has served as deputy chief at the Army Headquarters, the General Officer Commanding of the Yol-based HQs 9 Corps, director general of infantry, and Inspector General of Assam Rifles in the North-east. He also commanded his battalion in the Kashmir valley and Rajasthan.
As director general of infantry, he steered and fast-tracked capital procurement of weapons for the three services, leading to significant and visible capability enhancement for the armed forces. As deputy chief of army staff (information system and coordination), Dwivedi provided impetus to automation and absorption of niche technologies in the force.
“Being a technology enthusiast, he worked towards enhancing the technical threshold of all ranks in Northern Command and pushed for ‘critical and emerging technologies’,” the statement said.
His overseas exposure includes tenures in Somalia and Seychelles.
He has also attended the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, the Higher Command Course at Army War College in Mhow, and the US Army War College in Carlisle.
