Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani appointed as India next Chief of Defence Staff
Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani has been appointed as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), with the government assigning him the key responsibility of implementing the ambitious military theatreisation plan and strengthening tri-services synergy.
The retired Army officer will succeed General Anil Chauhan, who completes his tenure as the country’s senior-most military commander on May 30.
Currently serving as the Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Lt Gen Subramani is widely regarded as an expert on Pakistan and China-related strategic affairs.
The Ministry of Defence announced that he will also function as Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs alongside his role as CDS.
One of his primary mandates will be to advance the military theatreisation model through the creation of integrated military commands aimed at improving coordination among the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Lt Gen Subramani retired as the Vice Chief of Army Staff on July 31 last year after serving in the post from July 2024.
During his over four-decade-long military career, he held several command, staff and instructional appointments across varied operational terrains and conflict zones.
He earlier served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command from March 2023 to June 2024.
Commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985, Lt Gen Subramani is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy.
He is also an alumnus of the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Bracknell, United Kingdom, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
The officer holds a Master of Arts degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
Throughout his career, he commanded the 16 Garhwal Rifles during counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, led the 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and commanded the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector.
He also commanded two Army corps, including a premier strike corps deployed on the Western Front.
His staff assignments included roles such as Defence Attaché in Kazakhstan, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Staff Operations in Eastern Command, and Chief Instructor at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.
According to the Defence Ministry, Lt Gen Subramani possesses deep operational understanding of both India’s western and northern borders.
For his distinguished service, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
