By N. C. Bipindra

New Delhi: India, on May 9, 2026, announced the appointment of former Indian Army Vice Chief Lieutenant General N. S. Raja Subramani as the next Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs.

He will take over from incumbent General Anil Chauhan, who retires on May 30. A Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, and Sena Medal awardee, Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani, is at present the Military Adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) since September 1, 2025.

He was previously General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army’s Central Command between March 2023 and June 2024. He was the Vice Chief of Army Staff between July 2024 and July 2025.

He will hold the top post of CDS for a three-year tenure or until further orders from the Indian government. Lt. Gen. Subramani would be the third CDS of India after General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash in the Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu in December 2021, and General Anil Chauhan, who was appointed in mid-2022.

Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.

He is an alumnus of the Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (United Kingdom), 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.

In his military career spanning over 40 years, Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani served across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles and held a host of Command, Staff, and Instructional appointments.

He commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles in Counter-Insurgency in Assam as part of Operation Rhino, 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu & Kashmir, and 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector during a challenging operational environment. He also has the distinction of having commanded 2 Corps, the premier strike Corps of the Indian Army on the Western Front.

The General Officer’s staff and instructional assignments include Divisional Officer at National Defence Academy, Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attache in Kazakhstan, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch, Colonel General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Eastern Command, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence in the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), Brigadier General Staff (Operations) in the Eastern Command, Chief Instructor (Army) at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Chief of Staff, Headquarters Northern Command.

The General Officer has insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the Western and Northern Borders with Pakistan and China, respectively.

NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on Arattai.
NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on Telegram.
NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on WhatsApp.