Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi assumed charge as the Indian Army’s vice chief on Monday, replacing Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar, who left in charge of the Northern Command in Udhampur. The two generals have switched positions.
The appointment of Dwivedi as vice chief is important because he is the front-runner for the army chief’s position as the senior-most officer when General Manoj Pande retires on May 31, 2024.
He inspected a guard of honour at the South Block lawn and paid respects at the National War Memorial before assuming command. From February 2022 to February 2024, Dwivedi led the Northern Army in a tough operational environment.
The general was commissioned into the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984 and has had a balanced exposure to both the northern and western theaters. He is a graduate of the Indian Military Academy, the National Defence Academy and Sainik School in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, the army said in a statement.
The Northern Command is in charge of guarding the country’s borders with Pakistan and China, as well as managing counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Dwivedi has a wealth of experience in operations, intelligence, operational logistics, force structuring and modernisation initiatives.