New Delhi: The country has got a new CDS i.e. Chief of Defense Staff. The Government of India has appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani (Retd) as the new Chief of Defense Staff. N S Raja Subramani will also function as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, Government of India, from the date of assumption of charge, until further orders.
Who is N S Raja Subramani?
Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani is the Military Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat with effect from September 1, 2025. Earlier, he was the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command from March 2023 to June 2024.
It is noteworthy that the tenure of the country’s current CDS General Anil Chauhan will end on May 30, 2026.
How important is the post of CDS?
The post of CDS i.e. Chief of Defense Staff holds great importance. The person holding this post establishes better coordination between the three armies of India i.e. Army, Air Force and Navy. Till now this responsibility was being handled by General Anil Chauhan but after the end of his tenure on May 30, 2026, this responsibility will be handled by Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani.
The post of CDS in India was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech in 2019. The country’s first CDS was General Bipin Rawat who was martyred in a helicopter crash in the year 2021. After this, General Anil Chauhan got the command of the post of CDS of the country.
The need for the post of Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) in India was felt after the Kargil War because this war showed lack of coordination between the three armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force). In such a situation, there was a deficiency in the high level decision making process. In such a situation, it was necessary that there should be someone who could establish coordination between the three armies. This need led to the creation of the post of CDS.
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