Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth to take over as next Indian Army chief; IAF gets new Vice Chief Ashutosh Dixit
PTC Web Desk: Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth is set to take over as the next Chief of the Indian Army on Tuesday, marking a major leadership change at the top of the armed forces. In another key development, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will assume charge as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday.
The appointment of Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth as the next Army Chief comes as the current Chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, retires from service. Lt Gen Seth is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army and will officially take over command on Tuesday.
Lt Gen Seth belongs to the Armoured Corps and was commissioned in December 1986. He will be the first officer from the Armoured Corps in more than three decades to lead the Indian Army. The last officer from this corps to hold the top post was General Roy Chowdhury, who retired in 1997. Over his long career, Lt Gen Seth has served in operational, strategic, and institutional roles, contributing to capability development and modernisation of the Army.
In parallel, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will take charge as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force on July 1. He is currently serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), where he has been involved in joint military planning and the development of theatre command structures.
A fighter pilot by training, Air Marshal Dixit has also commanded the Flight Test Squadron at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru. His appointment comes at a crucial time, as he is expected to be in line for higher responsibility when the current IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, retires in October.
With these changes, Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, the Southern Army Commander, will take over as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Army. Meanwhile, Lt Gen Rajesh Pushkar has been appointed as the new Southern Army Commander, and Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra will assume charge as the South-Western Army Commander based in Jaipur.
Lt Gen Pushkar, currently heading the II Strike Corps in Ambala, is set to take over his new role in Pune on July 1. Lt Gen Malhotra, presently serving as Chief of Staff in the Eastern Command in Kolkata, was commissioned into the 47th Armoured Regiment in 1989.
- With inputs from agencies
