Dhiraj Seth

General
Dhiraj Seth
PVSM UYSM AVSM
Official Portrait, 2026
31st Chief of the Army Staff
Incumbent
Assumed office
30 June 2026
PresidentDroupadi Murmu
Minister of DefenceRajnath Singh
Preceded byUpendra Dwivedi
49th Vice Chief of the Army Staff
In office
1 April 2026 – 30 June 2026
PresidentDroupadi Murmu
Chief of Army StaffUpendra Dwivedi
Preceded byPushpendra Pal Singh
Succeeded bySandeep Jain
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief
Southern Command
In office
1 July 2024 – 31 March 2026
Chief of Army StaffUpendra Dwivedi
Preceded byAjai Kumar Singh
Succeeded bySandeep Jain
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief
South Western Command
In office
1 November 2023 – 30 June 2024
Preceded byB. S. Raju
Succeeded byManjinder Singh
Personal details
SpouseKomal Seth[1]
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service
20 December 1986 – Present
Rank General
Unit2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
Commands
Service numberIC-44044X[2]
Awards

General Dhiraj Seth, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM is a serving four-star general officer of the Indian Army. He is the current and 31st Chief of the Army Staff.[3][4] He previously served as the 49th Vice Chief of the Army Staff.[5] He earlier served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command,[6] as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command,[7] as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area[8] and as the General Officer Commanding, XXI Corps.[9] He is also the Colonel of the Regiment of the Armoured Corps.[10]

Gen Upendra Dwivedi hands over the baton to Gen Dhiraj Seth
Gen Seth as VCOAS

Early life and education

He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the Army War College, Mhow and the National Defence College, New Delhi. Later, he attended the General Staff Course at the French Collège interarmées de Défense[11] and International Defense Acquisition Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School, USA.[12]

In DSSC, he was adjudged as the best all-round student of his course in 2006. He was also awarded the ‘Silver Centurion’ in the Young Officers Course and stood first in order of merit in several courses attended by him, including the Junior Command Course.

Military career

The general was commissioned into the 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) on 20 December 1986 from the Indian Military Academy.[2] In a career spanning over three decades, he has undertaken numerous command, staff and instructional appointments. He has commanded the Skinner's Horse, 98 Armoured Brigade and was General Officer Commanding of Uniform force in Jammu & Kashmir. He has served as brigade major of an independent Armoured brigade, as the Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch, as Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at the South Western Command, as brigadier perspective plans with the Strategic Planning Directorate and as the Additional Director General Weapons and Equipment.[13] He also served with the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III as an operations officer from 1995-1996.[7] He has done instructional tenures as an instructor and assistant adjutant at the National Defence Academy (NDA), and as an instructor at the School of Armoured Warfare, Ahmednagar.[13]

After being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, he assumed the appointment of Director General (Discipline, Ceremonial and Welfare) at Army Headquarters, New Delhi. On 31 July 2021, he took over as the General Officer Commanding, XXI Corps.[9] He was subsequently appointed General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area in August 2022.[8]

On 1 November 2023, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command succeeding Lieutenant General B. S. Raju who superannuated on 31 October 2023.[7] On 1 July 2024, he took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command succeeding Lieutenant General Ajai Kumar Singh.[6] He relinquished the command on 31 March 2026.[14]

On 1 April 2026, Lieutenant General Seth took over the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff succeeding Lieutenant General Pushpendra Pal Singh who moved to Western Command as an Army Commander.[5]

Chief of the Army Staff

On 13 June 2026, the Government of India appointed Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth as the next Chief of Army Staff.[15][16] On 30 June 2026, General Dhiraj Seth took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi, who superannuated after more than four decades of sevice to the nation.[3] General Seth is the 3rd Chief of Army Staff from the 2nd Lancers and the 7th COAS from the Armoured Corps.[17] On assuming charge as the COAS, he outlined his vision of 'VIJAY' [i] comprising five elements for the Indian Army.[18][19]

Personal life

He is married to Komal Seth and the couple has two daughters.[1] The general is an avid sportsman and excels in Tennis and Golf. His father Lt Gen Krishna Mohan Seth retired as the Adjutant General of the Indian Army in 1997 and also commanded XXI Strike Corps and III Corps and his younger brother Rear Admiral Ravnish Seth is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy.[9]

Awards and decorations

During his career, the general has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025[20], the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2026[21] and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022[22] and commendations from the Chief of Army Staff and Army Commanders.

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Uttam Yudh seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Samanya Seva Medal Special Service Medal Sainya Seva Medal
High Altitude Medal Videsh Seva Medal 75th Independence Anniversary Medal 50th Independence Anniversary Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal UNAVEM III

Dates of rank

InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Second LieutenantIndian Army20 December 1986[2]
LieutenantIndian Army20 December 1988[23]
CaptainIndian Army20 December 1991[24]
MajorIndian Army20 December 1997[25]
Lieutenant ColonelIndian Army16 December 2004[26]
ColonelIndian Army1 May 2007[27]
BrigadierIndian Army24 May 2013 (acting)
9 September 2013 (substantive, with seniority from 24 June 2011)[28]
Major GeneralIndian Army1 December 2018 (seniority from 1 February 2017)[29]
Lieutenant GeneralIndian Army31 January 2021[30]
General (COAS) Indian Army 30 June 2026[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ V stands for Vigilance, I for Innovation and Transformation, J for Jointness and Integration, A for Atmanirbharta and Y stands for Yodha First.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mrs Komal Seth, Regional President AWWA, Southern Command, visited the Vocational Training Centre at Belagavi Military Station". X (formerly twitter). 20 July 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 29 October 1988. p. 54.
  3. 1 2 3 "GENERAL DHIRAJ SETH TAKES OVER AS THE CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF". pib.gov.in. 30 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "General Dhiraj Seth takes charge as new Army Chief". The Hindu. PTI. 30 June 2026. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "LT GEN DHIRAJ SETH ASSUMES APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth assumes command of Pune based Southern Command". pib.gov.in. 1 July 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Lt General Dhiraj Seth takes over as South Western Army chief". Hindustan Times. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth assumed the command of Delhi Area from Lt Gen Vijay Kumar Mishra". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 "Army General to Command Corps His Father Led Too". Bharat Shakti. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). egazette.gov.in. The Gazette of India. p. 176. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Arrêté du 8 décembre 2006 portant attribution du brevet d'études militaires supérieures". Légifrance. Republic of France. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth takes command of Sudarshan Chakra Corps". The Hitavada. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  13. 1 2 "General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command".
  14. ↑ "LT GEN DHIRAJ SETH RELINQUISHES COMMAND OF SOUTHERN COMMAND". pib.gov.in. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth appointed as Chief of the Army Staff w.e.f. June 30, 2026". pib.gov.in. 13 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Gupta, Shishir (13 June 2026). "Lt General Dhiraj Seth appointed as next Army chief, to assume office on June 30". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Philip, Snehesh Alex (16 June 2026). "Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth will be the 7th COAS from Armoured Corps. Who are the others". ThePrint. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "'VIGILANCE, INNOVATION, JOINTNESS': Gen Dhiraj Seth launches 'VIJAY' vision to transform Indian Army". ANI. ANI. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Philip, Snehesh Alex (1 July 2026). "On first day as Army Chief, General Dhiraj Seth lays out his VIJAY priorities". ThePrint. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "President approves Gallantry awards to 93 Armed Forces personnel, including 11 posthumous & 305 defence decorations on the eve of Republic Day 2025". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "77th Republic Day: President approves Gallantry awards to 70 Armed Forces personnel, including six posthumous & military decorations to 301 personnel". Press Information Bureau. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  22. ↑ "Honours and Awards : Republic Day 2022" (PDF). PIB. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  23. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 8 September 1990. p. 64.
  24. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 5 September 1992. p. 56.
  25. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 18 April 1998. p. 7.
  26. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 6 August 2005. p. 1359.
  27. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 August 2009. p. 1388.
  28. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 August 2015. p. 2140.
  29. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 December 2021. p. 2963.
  30. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 29 November 2025. p. 4805.
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