Jump to content

Upendra Dwivedi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lieutenant General
Upendra Dwivedi
PVSM AVSM
30th Chief of the Army Staff
Assuming office
30 June 2024
PresidentDroupadi Murmu
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
SucceedingManoj Pande
46th Vice Chief of the Army Staff
Assumed office
19 February 2024
PresidentDroupadi Murmu
Chief of Army StaffManoj Pande
Preceded byM. V. Suchindra Kumar
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command
In office
1 February 2022 (2022-02-01) – 18 February 2024
Chief of Army StaffManoj Mukund Naravane
Manoj Pande
Preceded byYogesh Kumar Joshi
Succeeded byM. V. Suchindra Kumar
Personal details
Born (1964-07-01) 1 July 1964 (age 59) [1]
SpouseSunita Dwivedi [2]
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service15 December 1984 – present [3]
Rank Lieutenant General
Unit18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles
Commands Northern Command
IX Corps
Service numberIC-42298W [4]
Awards

Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi PVSM, AVSM (born 1 July 1964) is a serving general officer of the Indian Army. He currently serves as the 46th Vice Chief of Army Staff.[5] On 11 June 2024, the Government of India appointed Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi as the next Chief of Army Staff. He will assume the charge of Chief of Army Staff effective June 30, 2024 when General Manoj Pande demits office upon superannuation. He was previously tenanting the appointment of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command,[6] prior to that he served as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Coordination)[7] and as the General Officer Commanding IX Corps.[8]

Early life and education[edit]

Gen Dwivedi is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa.[9] He attended the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and then the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He also attended Defence Services Staff College, Wellington & Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow. He was conferred Distinguished Fellow in the coveted NDC equivalent course at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, USA. He has a M. Phil. in Defence & Management Studies, in addition to the two Masters Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science, including one from United States Army War College.[2]

Military career[edit]

Gen Dwivedi was commissioned into the 18th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles on 15 December 1984 from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.[10] He has commanded a battalion at Chowkibal in Kashmir Valley during Operation Rakshak and the deserts of Rajasthan, a sector of the Assam Rifles in Manipur during Operation Rhino, served in Assam as Inspector General, Assam Rifles and held various other Staff & Command appointments in the North East. He has had a unique distinction of balanced exposure of both Northern and Western Theatres.[11]

During his illustrious career spanning over 39 years, has tenanted various staff appointments in Headquarter Armoured Brigade, Mountain Division, Strike Corps and Integrated HQ, MoD (Army). Among his previous appointments were as an instructor at the Indian Military Academy, directing staff at the higher command wing in the Army War College, he shaped the future generations of the three services and Friendly Foreign Countries. His two overseas tenures include Somalia, as part of HQ UNOSOM II and military attaché to the government of Seychelles. Appointment of Director General Infantry empowered him to steer and fast-track Capital procurement cases of weapons for all the three services, leading to significant & visible capability enhancement for our Armed Forces.[6]

In February 2020, Gen Dwivedi was appointed commander of IX Corps.[8] A year later in April 2021, he took over as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Coordination).[7] As DCOAS (IS&C), the officer gave impetus to automation and absorption of niche tech in the Indian Army.[2]

On 1 February 2022, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi took over as the General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command,[6] he assumed the post upon superannuation of Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi. Gen Dwivedi being a technology enthusiast, he worked towards enhancing the tech-threshold of all ranks in Northern Command and pushed for critical & emerging Technologies like big data analytics, artificial Intelligence, quantum and blockchain based solutions. He was also involved in modernisation and equipping of the largest Army Command of Indian Army, where he steered the induction of Indigenous equipment as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He synergised with people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh for convergent nation building outcomes and infrastructure development.[2]

On 19 February 2024, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi took over as the 46th Vice Chief of Army Staff from Lieutenant General M. V. Suchindra Kumar, who now has been appointed as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command.[5] On 11 June 2024, the Government of India appointed Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi as the next Chief of Army Staff succeeding General Manoj Pande who demits the office on 30 June 2024.[12]

Personal life[edit]

The General Officer is married to Mrs. Sunita Dwivedi, a science graduate, who is a homemaker. Mrs. Sunita Dwivedi has been associated with Aarushi, an Institute for specially abled children, at Bhopal. The couple are blessed with two daughters.[2]

Awards and decorations[edit]

The general officer is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal[13] and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.[14]

Param Vishisht 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 UNOSOM

Dates of rank[edit]

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
Second Lieutenant Indian Army 15 December 1984[10]
Lieutenant Indian Army 15 December 1986[15]
Captain Indian Army 15 December 1989[16]
Major Indian Army 15 December 1995[17]
Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army 16 December 2004[18]
Colonel Indian Army 1 April 2006[19]
Brigadier Indian Army 13 June 2011 (acting)
17 October 2011 (substantive, with seniority from 30 March 2010)[20]
Major General Indian Army 1 December 2016 (seniority from 1 February 2015)[21]
Lieutenant-General Indian Army 15 July 2019[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2024481
  2. ^ a b c d e https://indianarmy.nic.in/leaders/leaders-site-main/vice-chief-of-the-army-staff-leaders-site-main
  3. ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. ^ https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1999669
  5. ^ a b "LIEUTENANT GENERAL UPENDRA DWIVEDI TAKES OVER AS VICE CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF FROM LIEUTENANT GENERAL MV SUCHINDRA KUMAR". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi assumes charge of Army's Northern Command". ANI. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi has taken over as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff(IS &C)". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi is new commander of Rising Star Corps". Hindustan Times. 2020 [17 February].
  9. ^ "Sainik School Rewa celebrates its alumni -- Vice-Chiefs of Army & Navy". The Times of India. 21 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 17 December 1988. p. 1854.
  11. ^ "Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi assumes charge as Vice Chief of Army Staff". India Today. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi appointed as next Chief of the Army Staff w.e.f. afternoon of June 30, 2024". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  13. ^ "75th Republic Day: President approves Gallantry awards to 80 Armed Forces personnel, including 12 posthumous". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  14. ^ "President Shri Ram Nath Kovind approves 455 Gallantry & other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 10 June 1989. p. 802.
  16. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 19 January 1991. p. 144.
  17. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 13 April 1996. p. 555.
  18. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1910.
  19. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 February 2009. p. 259.
  20. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 22 March 2014. p. 437.
  21. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 April 2022. p. 759.
  22. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 24 October 2020. p. 1670.
Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding IX Corps
16 February 2020 – 26 March 2021 		Succeeded by
P. N. Ananthanarayanan
Preceded by Deputy Chief of the Army Staff
(Information Systems and Coordination)
10 April 2021 – 31 January 2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command
1 February 2022 - 18 February 2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice Chief of the Army Staff
19 February 2024 – present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Upendra_Dwivedi&oldid=1229176191"