LIEUTENANT General Dhiraj Seth, who helmed the Southern Command during Operation Sindoor last year, took charge as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on Wednesday. The decorated military officer succeeds Lt General Pushpendra Singh. At a ceremony held on the South Block lawns, the general officer reviewed a guard of honour as he assumed the key leadership post in the Indian Army. A day earlier, Lt General Seth relinquished his previous appointment as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command. He also laid a wreath at the Southern Command War Memorial to honour the sacrifices made by soldiers.

 

Lt General Seth served as the 51st General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the elite Southern Command from July 1, 2024, to March 31 this year. In his message to all ranks of the Pune-based command, the general officer exhorted them to sustain its operational edge by embracing technology absorption, refining warfighting competencies for multi-domain operations and strengthening the foundations of a future-ready force, officials said. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Lt General Seth was commissioned into the 2nd Lancers on December 20, 1986.