Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth assumed the significant role of Vice Chief of the Army Staff on Wednesday, succeeding Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh. The decorated officer, who previously commanded the Southern Command, reviewed a guard of honour during a ceremony held on the South Block lawns as he took over the key leadership position.
The Chenab Times has learned that Lieutenant General Seth had relinquished his appointment as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command a day prior to taking his new charge. In his farewell to the Pune-based command, he laid a wreath at the Southern Command War Memorial, honouring the sacrifices of soldiers. He exhorted all ranks to maintain operational readiness by embracing technological advancements, enhancing warfighting capabilities for multi-domain operations, and strengthening the foundations of a future-ready force.
Lieutenant General Seth served as the 51st General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command from July 1, 2024, to March 31 of this year. He was at the helm of the Southern Command during Operation Sindoor, a decisive military action undertaken last year in response to a militant attack in Pahalgam. He also observed the significant tri-services exercise, “Trishul,” conducted off the coast of Porbandar, Gujarat, in November of the previous year, alongside two other senior officers from the Navy and Air Force.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, Lieutenant General Seth was commissioned into the 2nd Lancers on December 20, 1986. His extensive command experience includes leading the Skinner’s Horse, 98 Armoured Brigade, a Counter Insurgency Uniform Force, 21 Corps, and the Delhi Area. He has also served as an instructor and assistant adjutant at the NDA and was the chief instructor at the School of Armoured Warfare.
Further augmenting his global experience, Lieutenant General Seth served with the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM-III) from 1995 to 1996 as an operations officer. He previously commanded the South Western Command from November 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. His staff appointments have been diverse, including Brigade Major of an Independent Armoured Brigade, Assistant Military Secretary, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) of HQ South Western Command, Deputy Director General Perspective Planning (Plans), and Additional Director General of Weapons and Equipment.
Lieutenant General Seth has a distinguished academic record, having excelled in numerous courses. He was awarded the “Silver Centurion” in the Young Officers’ Course and secured first position in both the Radio Instructor Course and the Junior Command Course. His achievements were further recognized when he was adjudged the best all-round student at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. His international training includes attending the Defence Services Command and General Staff Course at the Military College in Paris, the International Defence Acquisition Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California, the Higher Command Course at Mhow, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
In related developments, the Indian Army announced that Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain has assumed the appointment of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command. He paid tribute to soldiers at the Southern Command War Memorial. Additionally, Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh has relinquished his post as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, marking his departure with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial. Lieutenant General Anoop Shinghal has taken over as the Director General of the Regiment of Artillery.
The Chenab Times News Desk