Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth was on Saturday appointed as the next chief of the Indian Army by the Union government.

Seth, who is serving as the vice chief of the Army, will assume office on June 30 when General Upendra Dwivedi completes his tenure.

He studied at the National Defence Academy in Pune and was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in 1986.

Seth commanded an armoured brigade in the western theatre, counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir and the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, one of the Army’s key strike formations, the Ministry of Defence said.

He also served as the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Army’s South Western Command and the Southern Command.

Seth is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest peacetime award in the Indian armed forces. In January, he was also awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for distinguished service during wartime or a conflict.

Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.