Govt goes by seniority principle
New Delhi, June 11
The NDA government, in its first move related to high-profile appointments, named Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi as the next Chief of the Army. He will assume charge on June 30 when the incumbent Army Chief General Manoj Pande’s extended tenure is scheduled to end.
Lt Gen Dwivedi is the senior-most Army officer. With his appointment, the government has followed the seniority principle. When General Pande was given extension in service, there was apprehension among the forces that the government might ignore the seniority principle for this key appointment.
In its previous tenure, the Modi government had extended the term of General Pande, who was to retire on May 31, by one month.
General Dwivedi has commanded the Northern Command of the Army. He was commissioned into the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles on December 15, 1984. During his long service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff, instructional and foreign appointments. He commanded the 18th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. He has commanded the 9 Corps of the Army, headquartered at Yol near Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.
General Dwivedi is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, National Defence College and US Army War College (USAWC). He was conferred ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the coveted NDC equivalent course at the USAWC, Carlisle, US. He holds two master’s degrees in strategic studies and military science, besides MPhil in defence and management studies.
