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Published : 09 May 2026, 01:10 PM
The Indian government has appointed Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani as the new chief of defence staff (CDS).
He will take over after the current CDS Gen Anil Chauhan completes his tenure on May 30, according to Indian broadcaster NDTV.
In his role as defence chief, Subramani will serve as the top commander of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, while also acting as secretary of the Government of India’s Department of Military Affairs.
He began his military career at the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in December 1985.
Subramani has served in multiple operational and staff roles over a 35-year career, including postings in conflict zones and international assignments.
He also served as defence attaché at the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan’s Astana.
The veteran officer became the 47th vice-chief of the army staff in 2024 and later served as military advisor to India’s National Security Council Secretariat after retirement from active service.
The post of chief of defence staff was created in 2019 to improve coordination between India’s Army, Navy and Air Force.
Gen Bipin Rawat, a former army chief, was the first to be appointed to the role in December of that year.
Gen Rawat and his wife tragically died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu in December 2021, and nine months later Anil was appointed as the CDS.
While the CDS holds the same four-star rank as the heads of the three individual services, the position is considered senior in terms of protocol.
In another major appointment, Vice-Admiral Krishna Swaminathan has been named as the new chief of naval staff.
He will succeed Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, whose tenure ends on May 31.
Swaminathan, who joined the Indian Navy in 1987, has held several key command and staff positions during his career and is currently serving as flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Western Naval Command.
