India Gets New CDS: Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani Appointed as New Chief of Defence Staff

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Delhi: The Government of India has appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.) as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He will also serve as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date he assumes charge and until further orders. Lt Gen Subramani will take over as the CDS on May 30. He will succeed the incumbent CDS, General Anil Chauhan, who is set to complete his tenure on May 30, 2026. Gen Chauhan, a former Eastern Army Commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander in September 2022, over nine months after the first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.

Who is t Gen N S Raja Subramani

Lt Gen Subramani is currently serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat, a position he has held since September 1, 2025. Prior to this, he served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025. He has also held the key position of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, from March 2023 to June 2024.

The officer is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the eighth battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.Lt Gen Subramani is an alumnus of Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (UK), 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.

Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan Appointed as Next CNS

The government also appointed Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, currently the Western Naval Commander, as the next Chief of Naval Staff. Vice Admiral Swaminathan, who was commissioned in 1987, has had a distinguished career, serving as vice chief of the Navy, and therefore, in charge of the acquisition of warships and weaponry. He was also captain of two major warships, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and the guided missile destroyer INS Mysore. Earlier in his career, he commanded three corvettes. Before his current tenure as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, he has held important positions in Mumbai, including chief of staff and fleet commander.