Lt. Gen. Dhiraj Seth appointed next Army Chief
New Delhi (Raghwendra Pratap Singh) : The Government has appointed Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, presently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30, 2026. The present Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi retires from service the same day.
Lt Gen Seth will be the third Army chief from the 2nd Lancers, one of the oldest armoured regiments in the country and the first Armoured Corps officer to be appointed Army chief in the last 30 years after General Shankar Roy Chowdhury (1994-97).
An Armoured Corps officer, Lt Gen Seth is currently serving as the Army’s Vice Chief. He will take over as the COAS on June 30 when current Army chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, retires from service.
Former Army chiefs General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, also the first Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army after Independence (1953 to 1955), and General Bipin Chandra Joshi (1993-94) were also commissioned into the 2nd Lancers.
Lt Gen Seth will oversee the ongoing absorption of technology, modern equipment and platforms in the Army, and the process of integration with the other services. He comes from a family with a military background, and people who have worked with him describe him as a meticulous officer and a keen sportsman. His brother is a senior naval officer.
