Delhi, Sept 29th, 2022: Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan(retd) was appointed as India’s 2nd Chief of Defence Staff by the Central government on Wednesday.
Chauhan is only the second person to hold the post after former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on 8th December 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hand-picked General Rawat, a decorated general, as CDS in late 2019 with a mission to reorganize India’s army, air force, and navy into a single, modern force with U.S.-style joint theatre commands. He took charge in January 2020.
Lt Gen Chauhan, 61, had retired as Eastern Command Chief in May 2021 and was serving as the Military Advisor to the National Security Council.
In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, he has held several appointments and has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeast.
Since this is the first time that a retired officer has been appointed to the position, the government announced a few changes in the rules for the appointment.
As CDS, Chauhan will be the country’s top military officer and first among his equals, sharing his four-star rank with the chiefs of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.
