Retd Lt Gen Anil Chauhan Appointed As Next Chief Of Defence Staff

New CDS of India: Lt Gen Anil Chauhan had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir.

New Delhi: Retired Lt General Anil Chauhan has been appointed as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the ministry of defence said the retired Lt General will also function as Secretary to the Government of India with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders.

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

“Govt of India appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs,” said MoD.

After the death of former CDS General Bipin Rawat in an air crash, the appointment of a new CDS was discussed. 

The central government was considering the names of both serving and retired military officers for the appointment of the new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS). The post was lying vacant after the country's first CDS General Bipin Rawat died in an air crash on December 8 last year.

The decision to appoint a new CDS within six months of the re-election of the BJP government at the Center under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 was said to be the biggest improvement in the country's top military structure. General Rawat was appointed as the first CDS for coordination in the three armies of the country.

Know About CDS

The CDS is appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, which currently works under the rank of Additional Secretary. The CDS is also the head of the Integrated Defense Staff. The government has also put CDS in charge of Make in India in defence programmes.

On December 8, 2021, due to bad weather in Tamil Nadu, the Mi-17 helicopter of the Air Force was a victim of an accident. A total of 14 people including CDS Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat were in this helicopter. All the occupants of the helicopter lost their lives in the accident that took place in the Coonoor forest between the Nilgiris and Tamil Nadu.