New Delhi, May 9 (NVI ): The Government of India on Saturday appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), succeeding General Anil Chauhan, who is set to complete his tenure on May 30, 2026.
According to an official order, Lieutenant General Raja Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd), will also serve as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, from the date he assumes charge and until further orders.
Currently serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat since September 2025, Lt Gen Raja Subramani earlier held the key post of Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 2024 to July 2025. Before that, he served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, the officer was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985. He has also trained at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He holds higher academic qualifications from King’s College London and Madras University.
In a military career spanning more than four decades, Lt Gen Raja Subramani has commanded several prestigious formations across sensitive operational theatres, including counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, formations in Jammu and Kashmir, and the strategically significant 2 Corps on the Western Front.
He has also held a wide range of operational, intelligence, instructional and diplomatic assignments, including Defence Attaché in Kazakhstan, Chief Instructor at Defence Services Staff College Wellington, and Chief of Staff at Northern Command.
Officials said his vast operational experience on both the Northern and Western borders, along with his strategic and administrative expertise, made him a natural choice for the country’s highest military post.
For his distinguished service to the nation, Lt Gen Raja Subramani has been conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.(NVI)
