Government of India appointed Lieutenant
General N S Raja Subramani as the next Chief of Defence Staff
¨
The Government of India
appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani as the next Chief of Defence
Staff (CDS) on 9 May 2026.
¨
He will assume office on
30 May 2026, succeeding General Anil Chauhan.
¨ Along with serving as
CDS, he will also function as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs
under the Ministry of Defence.
¨ The appointment is
considered significant for India’s tri-service military structure and defence
reform process.
¨
The CDS is the highest
military position responsible for coordination among the Indian Army, Navy, and
Air Force.
¨
The post was created in
2019 following the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee and the Group
of Ministers on defence reforms.
¨
The CDS acts as the
principal military adviser to the Defence Minister and strengthens joint
military operations and tri-service integration.
¨
N S Raja Subramani was
commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in December 1985.
¨
He has served in the
Indian Army for more than 37 years.
¨ Since September 2025, he
has been serving as Military Adviser in the National Security Council
Secretariat.
¨ From July 2024 to July 2025, he served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.
¨ Between March 2023 and June 2024, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command of the Indian Army.
