General Dhiraj Seth on Tuesday took over as the Army's 31st Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi, who completed his tenure. A veteran Armoured Corps officer and the former Vice Chief of the Army Staff, General Seth is the first officer from the Armoured Corps to head the Indian Army since General Shankar Roy Chowdhary retired in 1997.Before assuming the top post, General Seth served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Southern Command. Earlier, he headed the South Western Command and also held key appointments as the General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, and General Officer Commanding, XXI Corps. He also serves as the Colonel of the Regiment of the Armoured Corps.Commissioned into the 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) in 1986, General Seth has led both the Pune-based Southern Command and the Jaipur-based South Western Command, formations that are strategically focused on India's western frontier with Pakistan. He is among the few Army commanders to have headed two operational commands. During his career, he has also commanded the Bhopal-based XXI Corps, overseen the Delhi Area with responsibility for major national and international ceremonial duties, and led a counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir, an armoured brigade and an armoured regiment.Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth is a graduate of the Higher Command Course and the National Defence College, and has also attended the prestigious Command & Staff Course in Paris. Focus on Army modernisationBeyond operational command, General Seth has held key staff appointments in capability development and strategic planning, contributing to the Army's long-term modernisation roadmap. He assumes charge at a time when the Army is pursuing its ambitious 'Decade of Transformation' initiative.During his tenure, the Army is expected to operationalise Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), expand the use of emerging technologies and drones, and make significant progress towards integrated theatre commands aimed at improving coordination among the Army, Navy and Air Force.As GOC-in-C, Southern Command, General Seth also spearheaded the tri-services Exercise Shakti on the western frontier.