Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan appointed India’s next Chief of Defence Staff

Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (Retired) will be India’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Narendra Modi government announced Wednesday evening.

In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Lt. Gen. Chauhan held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East India.

He will also function as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders.

Born on 18th May 1961, Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In the rank of Major General, the officer had commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command.

Later as Lt. General, he commanded a corps in the North East and subsequently went to become the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021.

In addition to these command appointments, the decorated officer also tenanted important staff appointments including the charge of Director General of Military Operations. Earlier, he had also served on a United Nations’ mission to Angola.

Even after his retirement from the Army, the Army General continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters. For his distinguished and illustrious service in the Army, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

In a major move to appoint the successor of late General Bipin Rawat, the government in June amended the acts of three services to make serving three-star officers and retired three-and four-star officers eligible for appointment as the country’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

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