NS Raja Subramani has been appointed as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), replacing Anil Chauhan, whose tenure will conclude on May 30 this year. Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) will also serve as Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs from the date he formally assumes office. The appointment marks a major leadership transition in India’s higher defence structure, with the former Army officer returning to take charge of one of the country’s most significant military positions after he retired from active service last year.
Lt Gen Subramani is currently serving as military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). He retired as Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) on July 31 last year after completing nearly four decades in the Indian Army. During his 39-year military career, he served in several operational and command roles across varied terrains and conflict zones. He also served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Central Command and commanded the Army’s prestigious 2 Corps on the Western Front.
Commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985, Lt Gen Subramani held multiple field and operational appointments during his career. He commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles during counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, led 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and later commanded the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector. For his distinguished service, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Sena Medal (SM), and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
In another major military appointment, Krishna Swaminathan has been named the next Chief of the Indian Navy. He is currently serving as the Western Naval Commander and will take over as Chief of Naval Staff on May 31, succeeding Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, who is set to retire from the post. The appointment marks a key leadership change in the Indian Navy at a time of growing maritime and strategic focus in the Indo-Pacific region.
Vice Admiral Swaminathan was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, and is a specialist in communication and electronic warfare. During his naval career, he commanded several frontline warships and strategic assets, including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, guided missile destroyer INS Mysore, missile corvette INS Kulish, and missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash. He is also an alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Khadakvasla, the College of Naval Warfare in Karanja, the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom, and the United States Naval War College in Rhode Island.
