Pak-China affairs expert Lt Gen Subramani named next CDS

Lt Gen Subramanis staff and instructional assignments include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attache in Kazakhstan, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretarys Branch, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, and Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence Army.

Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (retd) has been named India's next Chief of Defence Staff and his primary mandate will be to implement the ambitious military theaterisation plan and bolster tri-services synergy. He will replace Gen Anil Chauhan, who completes his tenure as the country's senior-most military commander on May 30. Lt Gen Subramani, widely known as an expert on Pakistan and China, is currently serving as the Military Advisor at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). He retired as the Vice Chief of Army Staff on July 31 last year. The government has appointed Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the Chief of Defence Staff and he will also function as the secretary of the department of military affairs, the defence ministry said on Saturday. As Chief of Defence Staff, Subramani's primary task will be to implement the theaterisation model by rolling out integrated military commands. Gen Chauhan, a former Eastern Army Commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander in September 2022, over nine months after the first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu. In his illustrious career spanning over 40 years, Lt Gen Subramani served across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles and held a host of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. He served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025, and was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command from March 2023 till June 2024. The officer is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the eighth battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985. Lt Gen Subramani is an alumnus of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Bracknell (UK), and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King's College, London, and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University. He commanded the 16 Garhwal Rifles in counter-insurgency operations in Assam as part of Operation Rhino, the 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector during a challenging operational environment. He also distinguished himself by commanding two corps, including a premier strike corps of the Indian Army on the Western Front. Lt Gen Subramani's staff and instructional assignments include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attache in Kazakhstan, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, and Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army). He also held the posts of Brigadier General Staff (Operations) in the Eastern Command, Chief Instructor (Army) at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and Chief of Staff at Headquarters Northern Command. The officer possesses insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the Western and Northern borders, according to the defence ministry. For his distinguished service, the General Officer has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.