Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth Takes Over as Army Chief
Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth assumed charge as the next Chief of the Indian Army on Tuesday, marking a historic milestone as the first officer from the Armoured Corps to lead the force in over three decades. Commissioned in December 1986, General Seth brings extensive experience from the mechanised warfare branch. The last Armoured Corps officer to hold the top post was General Roy Chowdhury, who retired in September 1997.
New Vice Chiefs for Army and IAF
In a coordinated leadership overhaul, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will take over as the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force on July 1. He is currently serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) in the tri-services organisation under the Chief of Defence Staff. Air Marshal Dixit, a fighter pilot and former commanding officer of the Flight Test Squadron at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru, has been instrumental in advancing jointness and setting up theatre commands. He will become the senior-most officer in line when the present IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh superannuates in October this year.
Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, formerly the Southern Army Commander, has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Army, succeeding Lt Gen Seth. His elevation continues the series of top-level changes in the military hierarchy.
Previous Changes at the Top
These appointments come just a month after two other significant leadership transitions. Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani and Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan took charge of their respective posts, completing a comprehensive reshuffle across the Indian armed forces.
