The Central Government on Tuesday appointed Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi as the next Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) with effect from the afternoon of June 30.
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, who is presently serving as vice chief of the Army Staff will replace General Manoj C Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM as he demits office on the same day.
Mention may be made that the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 approved the extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj C Pande for a period of one month up to June 30.
Born on July 1, 1964, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM was commissioned into the Infantry (Jammu & Kashmir Rifles) of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984. During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff, Instructional and Foreign appointments.
The Command appointments of Lt General Upendra Dwivedi include Command of Regiment (18 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles), Brigade (26 Sector Assam Rifles), DIG, Assam Rifles (East) and 9 Corps. In the rank of Lt General, he has tenanted important appointments including that of Director General Infantry and General Officer Commanding in Chief (Headquarter Northern Command) from 2022-2024, before getting appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
An alumnus of the Sainik School Rewa, National Defence College and US Army War College, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi has undergone courses at the DSSC Wellington and Army War College, Mhow. In addition, he was conferred ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the coveted NDC equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA.
He has an M Phil in Defence and Management Studies and two Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science. The Officer has also been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and three GOC-in-C Commendation Cards.
