Northern Command head, vice chief may swap places
Ex GOCs 14, 15, 16 Corps to get top posts
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 2: A major reshuffle at the level of top Army Commanders is on cards which may also include Northern Command chief, Vice Chief of Army, Chief of Staff (CoS) Northern Command and many other top Commanders.
The proposal is in the final stage of discussion and consideration and will be implemented in stages well before the end of this year, official sources told the Excelsior.
“If the proposal is through, Northern Command chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, who had taken over the Command on February 1, 2022 is likely to be posted as vice chief of the Army at Delhi,” they said, adding Lt Gen Dwivedi will be in reckoning for the post of Army chief following superannuation of Gen Manoj Pande on May 31, 2024.
As per the proposal, Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar, present Vice chief of Army, who has also served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) Nagrota-based 16 Corps, is being considered for the post of chief of Northern Command from Lt Gen Dwivedi.
Kumar had taken over as vice chief of Army Staff on March 1, 2023 from Lt Gen BS Raju.
Chief of Staff in Northern Command Lt Gen AK Sengupta, who has served as GOC Leh based 14 Corps, is also being tipped for the post of Army Commander.
Lt Gen Manjinder Singh, deputy chief of Army Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) New Delhi, who too was earlier posted as GOC Nagrota-based 16 Corps, is proposed to take over the command of Army Training Command (ARTRAC) Shimla from Lt Gen SS Mahal, who is retiring by the end of this month.
As per officials, Eastern Command chief Lt Gen RP Kalita is retiring in the month of December this year. Lt Gen RC Tiwari, GOC 4 Corps at Assam is tipped as the new Eastern Army Commander.
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth has been posted Southern Western Command chief replacing Lt Gen BS Raju, who has retired from the services. Lt Gen Raju has also served as Srinagar-based 15 Corps and vice chief of Army. Lt Gen Seth was posted as GOC Delhi Area from where he has been shifted to Southern Western Command.
This command, often regarded as the youngest within the Indian Army, holds the responsibility of safeguarding India’s borders with Pakistan in the regions of Rajasthan and Punjab, consisting of nearly 130,000 soldiers. Lt Gen Seth’s extensive experience, including commanding significant military units and holding diverse staff appointments, positions him well to take the responsibility of this critical command.
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi tipped as new vice chief of Army, is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, National Defence Academy, and Indian Military Academy. He graduated from the prestigious Defence Service Staff College, attended Higher Command Course at Army War College and the National Defence College equivalent course at United State Army War College.
His Command is Incharge of entire Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Eastern Ladakh, Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir including Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara districts besides Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world, and has handled the situation very effectively.
Indian Army has been in eyeball-to-eyeball position with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China in Eastern Ladakh for last about three and half years. Though disengagement has taken place from some areas, the troops have geared up to face fourth consecutive harsh winter at many friction points in Eastern Ladakh due to no fresh agreement at Commander-level talks.
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