Indian Army Gets New Chief as General Dwivedi Hands Over Command Amid Push for Indigenous Defence Tech
A changing of the guard took place at the top of the Indian Army on Tuesday, as General Upendra Dwivedi formally retired and handed over command to Lieutenant General Dheeraj Seth, who takes charge at a moment when the force is leaning harder than ever into homegrown weapons technology.
Lieutenant General Seth, an officer of the Armoured Corps commissioned in December 1986, becomes the Army’s new Chief of Army Staff after most recently serving as Vice Chief of Army Staff. Over his career he has commanded both the South Western and Southern Commands, giving him deep operational experience across some of the Army’s most strategically sensitive theatres. He is the sixth Chief of Army Staff to come from the Armoured Corps, in an institution where infantry officers have traditionally dominated the Army’s top job.
In an exclusive conversation ahead of demitting office, outgoing chief General Dwivedi spoke at length about the Army’s operational posture along the Line of Actual Control, the lasting significance of Operation Sindoor, and what he described as a fundamental shift in the character of modern warfare driven by drones and unmanned systems.
A push for “Indian solutions for Indian challenges”
General Dwivedi was candid about the Army’s strategic direction on self-reliance, stating that the institution’s limitations, challenges and military needs are unique to India, and cannot simply be solved by importing technology off the shelf. He pointed to an expanding collaboration between the Defence Research and Development Organisation, defence public sector units, private industry, MSMEs, startups and academic institutions, all working together to test indigenous systems faster and get them into the hands of soldiers sooner.
That emphasis on speed reflects lessons learned from recent operations, where the pace of drone warfare evolution has outstripped traditional procurement timelines. Officials within the defence establishment have repeatedly stressed that waiting years for a single “perfect” system is no longer viable when battlefield requirements can shift within months.
In a related development, the Indian Army has firmly denied recent reports alleging Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh, calling the claims incorrect — a reminder that information warfare around the contested border remains as active a front as the physical one.
Continuity on Agnipath, eyes on modernisation
Asked about the Agnipath recruitment scheme, which has remained a subject of public debate since its introduction, General Dwivedi described it as a “major human resource reform” intended to build a younger, more future-ready Army. He indicated that any future refinements to the scheme should be guided by operational feedback from the force rather than external pressure, signalling that the Army intends to keep evolving the programme rather than abandoning it.
Beyond personnel policy, the broader modernisation drive General Dwivedi leaves behind includes continued work on integrating BrahMos missile systems onto the Su-30MKI fighter fleet for long-range strike capability, alongside parallel efforts by the Navy and Air Force to expand indigenous platforms — from next-generation destroyer programmes to engine sovereignty discussions for India’s future fighter jets.
Lieutenant General Seth inherits an Army balancing two demands simultaneously: maintaining high alert along a tense northern border while accelerating the shift toward indigenous, drone-centric warfare capability that General Dwivedi has championed throughout his tenure. Defence analysts say the transition is likely to be smooth given Seth’s deep familiarity with current Army priorities from his time as Vice Chief, but the scale of the modernisation agenda he now leads is considerable.
The Ministry of Defence is expected to formally outline the new chief’s priorities in the coming weeks, though early signals suggest continuity on the self-reliance push rather than a change in strategic direction.
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