Col. Alok Mathur, SM (Veteran)
Clearing all political fog, General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, from the Infantry took over as the 30th Chief of Army staff of the powerful Indian Army on 30 June, 2024 as General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC (29TH Army Chief) from Engineers, superannuated after 40 years of glorious service.
General Manoj Pande was due to retire on 1 June, 2024 but was given an extension of 30 days by the government as election results were due and entire nation was waiting for swearing in of the new government. The extension was a politically mature step taken by the previous government with concurrence of the President of India who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. It gave the new government an option of selecting the new Army Chief. On 11 June, General Upendra Dwivedi was declared by Government as Army Chief designate, indicating that the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already cleared his name before the elections.
IC- 42299W General Upendra Dwivedi is an accomplished, experienced and mature military commander with almost 39 years of service in the Indian Armed Forces. He was born on 1 July 1964 in Madhya Pradesh and is an alumnus of Sainik School Rewa (MP). Another interesting fact is that the present Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi is also from Sainik School Rewa and both are classmates. Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi was Roll No. 938 and Gen Dwivedi was Roll No. 931 in the school. They also joined NDA together in January 1981.
During NDA training, apart from excelling in academics, Dwivedi was also an excellent sportsman and blue in physical Training (PT). He passed out from Indian Military Academy on 15 December 1984 and was commissioned in 18 Jammu Kashmir Rifles as Second Lieutenant. He integrated with the unit seamlessly and won the love and respect of the troops. He was promoted as Lieutenant on 15 December 1986.
He received Gold Medal in PT Course in Army School of Physical Training (ASPT) Pune and excelled in all other courses. On 15 December 1989 with the rank of Captain he was posted as instructor to the IMA. He got his rank of Major on 15 December 1995 and also qualified for Defence Services Staff Course. After one year course at Wellington, he was posted to an Armoured Brigade as General Staff Officer, Grade 1. The formation was deployed in the Deserts. He was promoted as Lieutenant Colonel on 16 December 2004.
After the Senior Command Course, he was selected for the rank of Colonel on 1 April 2006 and was appointed as Commanding Officer of his own battalion (18 JAK Rifles). Commanding the parent Unit is a dream of all army officers. 18 JAK Rifles was then deployed in Chowkibal area in the Kashmir Valley. The unit carried out successful operations in the valley and then moved under his command to the deserts. He thus got an opportunity of commanding a unit in two different and diverse terrains. After successful command, then Colonel Dwivedi was selected for the Higher Command at Army War College, Mhow.
He was appointed as Commander 26 Sector, Assam Rifles as Brigadier on 13 June 2011. The operational responsibility of the Brigade was in trouble torn Manipur where it performed exceptionally well under his command.
Dwivedi was selected for United States Army War College in Carlisle USA equivalent of National Defence College and was awarded Master of Philosophy in Defence and Management Studies from the institution. He had one more post graduate degree in Military Science and Strategic Studies. After his NDC from USA, he was posted as Inspector General East, Assam Rifles on 1 December 2016, which was located in Silchar (Assam). He was commended for Compendium on Indo-Myanmar Border Management.
Subsequently, he was appointed as General Officer Command of Rising Sun Corps on 15 July 2019 as a Lt General. Afterwards, he was posted in the Integrated HQ of Army as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS- Information System and Coordination) where he implemented automation, modernisation and indigenisation projects in tune with the Atmanirbhar concept of the government as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In 2022, he was given the command of the most important Northern Army which is also called the “Always in Operations Command.” As General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi spearheaded operations in the most vital frontier from Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh.
He kept an Eagle’s eye on malicious activities of the Red Army on the LAC and also on the western neighbour on the Line of Control. He carried out induction of a Strike Corps in the mountains which foxed the enemy alliance. He was posted in February 2024 as the 46th Vice Chief of Army Staff and was based in Army Headquarters.
General Upendra Dwivedi has vast experience in almost all terrains covering Eastern, Western and Northern theatres, having served in extreme hot climate of the Thar deserts, counter insurgency environment of Kashmir and North East to Glaciers of Karakoram and the restive North-East. He also has international exposure as he was part of the UN Mission in Somalia (HQ UNOSOM II) and also Military Advisor to Seychelles. He has been deeply involved in promoting the policy of Atmanirbhar Bharat as DCOAS and later as Vice Chief. The effort was directed towards reduction of dependence of foreign origin weapons systems alongside fast procurement of essential lethal systems like S-400 missiles and long range Armed Drones.
Mrs Sunita Dwivedi, wife of General Dwivedi, is now ex-officio President of AWWA and takes keen interest in welfare activities for the serving and veteran army fraternity. She remains specially involved in welfare of Veer Naris and is also associated with NGO Arushi for special children.
Gen Dwivedi takes over the command of Indian Army at a time when the global geo-strategic environment is dynamic with the security domain becoming more pronounced due to technological advancements and ever changing character of modern warfare.
Operational preparedness to counter two hostile neighbours would be the key focus area for the new Chief. Concurrently, a focused response strategy to myriad non traditional challenges too shall be his priority towards augmenting the National Defence. He has a wealth of long experience and tested track record of effectively planning and executing for the unforeseen and unexpected situations. He has tenanted critical appointments and played a vital role in combating grey zone and dark zone manifestations in the national security vision.
The new Army Chief inherits a deep understanding of modern and emerging technologies of the complex security domain and possesses thoughtful approach of harnessing and integrating cutting edge technologies into the military system to enhance operational readiness. His vision finds congruence to the ongoing pursuit of the Indian Army to achieve its modernisation and capability development needs through Atmanirbhar Bharat. His impetus would be to augment infusion of critical technologies by leveraging the nation’s vibrant, capable and productive technology eco-system.
We all wish our new Army Chief a wonderful tenure in command of the second largest standing army of the world. May our Indian Army be “Victorious for Ever“ under his strong leadership following the Chetwode motto “Nation first Always and Every Time.”
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