Dhiraj Seth
31st Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army
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Early life and education
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the Army War College, Mhow and the National Defence College, New Delhi. Later, he attended the General Staff Course at the French Collège interarmées de Défense and International Defense Acquisition Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School, USA.
In DSSC, he was adjudged as the best all-round student of his course in 2006. He was also awarded the ‘Silver Centurion’ in the Young Officers Course and stood first in order of merit in several courses attended by him, including the Junior Command Course.
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Military career
The general was commissioned into the 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) on 20 December 1986 from the Indian Military Academy. In a career spanning over three decades, he has undertaken numerous command, staff and instructional appointments. He has commanded the Skinner's Horse, 98 Armoured Brigade and was General Officer Commanding of Uniform force in Jammu & Kashmir. He has served as brigade major of an independent Armoured brigade, as the Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch, as Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at the South Western Command, as brigadier perspective plans with the Strategic Planning Directorate and as the Additional Director General Weapons and Equipment. He also served with the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III as an operations officer from 1995-1996. He has done instructional tenures as an instructor and assistant adjutant at the National Defence Academy (NDA), and as an instructor at the School of Armoured Warfare, Ahmednagar.
After being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, he assumed the appointment of Director General (Discipline, Ceremonial and Welfare) at Army Headquarters, New Delhi. On 31 July 2021, he took over as the General Officer Commanding, XXI Corps. He was subsequently appointed General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area in August 2022.
On 1 November 2023, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command succeeding Lieutenant General B. S. Raju who superannuated on 31 October 2023. On 1 July 2024, he took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command succeeding Lieutenant General Ajai Kumar Singh. He relinquished the command on 31 March 2026.
On 1 April 2026, Lieutenant General Seth took over the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff succeeding Lieutenant General Pushpendra Pal Singh who moved to Western Command as an Army Commander.
Chief of the Army Staff
On 13 June 2026, the Government of India appointed Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth as the next Chief of Army Staff. On 30 June 2026, General Dhiraj Seth took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi, who superannuated after more than four decades of service to the nation. General Seth is the 3rd Chief of Army Staff from the 2nd Lancers and the 7th COAS from the Armoured Corps. On assuming charge as the COAS, he outlined his vision of 'VIJAY' comprising five elements for the Indian Army.
During NDTV Defence summit 2026, he emphasised that land victory is the only tangible factor in war. He further added that there is no substitute for self reliance 'atmanirbharta' in weapon development.
Personal life
He is married to Komal Seth and the couple has two daughters. The general is an avid sportsman and excels in Tennis and Golf. His father Lt Gen Krishna Mohan Seth retired as the Adjutant General of the Indian Army in 1997 and also commanded XXI Strike Corps and III Corps and his younger brother Rear Admiral Ravnish Seth is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy.
Awards and decorations
During his career, the general has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2026 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022 and commendations from the Chief of Army Staff and Army Commanders.