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The Indian Army on Wednesday carried out a significant reshuffle at the top, appointing a new Vice Chief and new commanders for its crucial Western, Southern and Eastern Commands, following a series of retirements the day before.
Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth assumed charge as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) at Army Headquarters, succeeding Lieutenant General Pushpendra Pal Singh. The move places one of the Army’s senior-most officers at the centre of decision-making at a time of heightened operational focus along both the Pakistan and China fronts.
Lt Gen Singh has taken over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Chandimandir-based Western Command, replacing Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, who retired after four decades of service. The Western Command remains one of the Army’s most critical operational formations, responsible for guarding the frontier with Pakistan across Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Punjab.
An officer of the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), Lt Gen Singh was commissioned into 4 Para (SF) in December 1987. On taking charge, he underscored the need to maintain high operational readiness in a sensitive theatre.
Lt Gen Seth, an Armoured Corps officer commissioned in December 1986, is widely seen by analysts as a frontrunner for the top post when Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi demits office on June 30, as he is the seniormost after the Army Chief. His move to the Army Headquarters is being viewed as part of a calibrated transition.
Over a distinguished career, Lt Gen Seth has held a range of command and staff appointments. Before taking over as Vice Chief, he headed the Pune-based Southern Command and earlier commanded the Mathura-based XXI Strike Corps. His operational experience spans commanding an armoured regiment in the desert sector, an armoured brigade, and a counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir. He has also led the Sudarshan Chakra Corps and served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. Notably, he has commanded both the South Western and Southern Commands, an uncommon distinction among Army commanders.
Lt Gen Katiyar, who demitted office as Western Army Commander, previously served as Director General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters and commanded the I Corps, one of the Army’s premier strike formations. During his tenure, including the confrontation with Pakistan last year, he emphasised rapid capability enhancement, particularly in drones and counter-drone systems.
In the eastern sector, Lt Gen RC Tiwari retired as Eastern Army Commander and was succeeded by Lt Gen VMB Krishnan, who assumed charge in Kolkata. The Eastern Command oversees operations along the Line of Actual Control with China, particularly in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Lt Gen Tiwari, during his tenure, focused on strengthening operational preparedness and capability development in the eastern theatre. His career included command of an infantry battalion in counter-insurgency operations, a mountain brigade in high-altitude areas, the Black Cat Division, and the 3 Corps in Nagaland.
Meanwhile, Lt Gen Sandeep Jain has taken over as the new Southern Army Commander in Pune, currently Chief of Staff, Southern Command. Speaking after assuming charge, he stressed continued focus on operational readiness.
The Southern, Western and Eastern Commands remain at the forefront of India’s defence posture, facing Pakistan and China, respectively. These formations are equipped with a wide range of combat capabilities, including armoured units, infantry, artillery, and aviation assets, and would play a decisive role in any future conflict.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
