Lt. Gen. N.S. Raja Subramani appointed as Chief of Defence Staff

New Delhi: The Union Government yesterday announced Lieutenant General N.S. Raja Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), succeeding General Anil Chauhan, whose tenure will conclude on May 30.

According to an official announcement, Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani will also serve as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs and will assume charge from the date he takes over.

Currently serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat since Sept. 1, 2025, Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani brings over four decades of Military experience spanning operational, intelligence and strategic assignments.

Before joining the NSCS, he served as Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025. Prior to that, he headed the Army’s Central Command as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief from March 2023 till June 2024.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, he was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on Dec. 14, 1985. He has also attended the Joint Services Command and Staff College and the National Defence College.

Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani holds a Master of Arts degree from King’s College London and an M.Phil in Defence Studies from University of Madras.

During his career, he has commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles in counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, led the 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu & Kashmir, and commanded the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector. He also led the 2 Corps, one of the Indian Army’s premier strike formations on the western front.

For his distinguished service, Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Sena Medal (SM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).