General Dhiraj Seth has assumed charge as India’s Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi and becoming the first officer from the Armoured Corps to lead the Indian army since General Shankar Roychowdhury in the mid-90s.
The appointment marks the first major leadership change in the Indian army since the May 2025 military confrontation with Pakistan, during which India suffered significant setbacks.
General Seth, who has nearly four decades of military service, is expected to serve until August 31, 2028.
Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986 after graduating from the National Defence Academy, General Seth has held a series of senior operational, command and staff appointments throughout his career.
He has commanded an armoured regiment in the desert sector, an armoured brigade, and a counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir.
After his promotion to lieutenant general, he led the Sudarshan Chakra Corps before serving as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi area.
General Seth is the son of Lieutenant General (r) Krishna Mohan Seth, a former adjutant general of the Indian army who later served as the governor of Tripura and Chhattisgarh.
