Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi takes command: 10 key facts about India’s new Army Chief

On Sunday, the Indian Army got its 30th Chief in Upendra Dwivedi as Manoj Pande superannuated on 30 June. Pande handed over the command of the Indian Army to General Upendra Dwivedi, who took over his new appointment today. The 30th Chief of the Indian Army, who hails from the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regiment, previously served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff starting in February of this year.

Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi: 10 points

-Chief of the Indian Army Upendra Dwivedi hails from Madhya Pradesh. He has studied at Sainik School Rewa.

-Upendra Dwivedi is married to Sunita Dwivedi, a science graduate who is a homemaker. Sunita Dwivedi has been associated with Aarushi, an institute for special-ability children in Bhopal. The couple is blessed with two daughters who work with NGOs.

-Dwivedi enrolled in the National Defence Academy in January 1981 and was commissioned into the 18th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles on 15 December 1984. He subsequently commanded this battalion in both the Kashmir valley and the deserts of Rajasthan.

-Dwivedi served as Inspector General of Assam Rifles at the rank of Major General and later as Sector Commander as a Brigadier. During his tenure, Assam Rifles played a crucial role in intense counterterrorism operations, and he held several key staff command appointments in the North East. He also initiated the first-ever compendium on Indo-Myanmar border management during this period.

-Dwivedi played a pivotal role in modernizing and equipping the largest command of the Indian Army. Under his leadership, there was a significant focus on the induction of indigenous equipment as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

-The officer's two overseas tenures include Somalia, as part of HQ UNOSOM II and Seychelles, as Military Advisor to the Government of Seychelles

-Upendra Dwivedi focused on elevating technological capabilities across all ranks of the Northern Command. He advocated adopting critical and emerging technologies such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and blockchain-based solutions.

-As Deputy Chief, he gave impetus to automation and the absorption of niche technology in the Indian Army

-As the DG Infantry, Upendra Dwivedi steered and fast-tracked capital procurement cases of weapons for all three services, leading to significant and visible capability enhancement for our Armed Forces

-Besides attending the Staff College, Wellington & Higher Command Course at AWC, Mhow, the officer was conferred 'Distinguished Fellow' in the coveted NDC equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA.

From classmates to Army Chiefs: Upendra Dwivedi and Dinesh Tripathi

In a historic first for the Indian military, classmates from Sainik School in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa will lead the Indian Army and Navy as service chiefs. Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, the 30th Army Chief, and Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, appointed Navy Chief, shared a classroom during their early education in the 1970s.

According to a report by news agency ANI, Dwivedi held roll number 931 in Class 5A back then, while Tripathi was identified by roll number 938.