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Who is Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani? India’s newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff
The Government has appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who shall also function as the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.
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Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani has been serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat since September 1, 2025. Image: x.com/SpokespersonMoD
Written By: ANI
Updated: Sat, May 09, 2026
10:44 AM IST
10:44 AM IST
ANI
The Government has appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who shall also function as the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.
As per the official statement, the present Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, will complete his tenure on May 30.
Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani has been serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat since September 1, 2025. Before that, he served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025, and as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, from March 2023 to June 2024.
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The officer is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.
He is also an alumnus of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Bracknell, United Kingdom, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King's College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
During his career spanning more than four decades, Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani has served across different conflict zones and terrain profiles and held several command, staff and instructional appointments.
He commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles during counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector during a challenging operational environment. He also commanded 2 Corps, the Indian Army's premier strike corps on the Western Front, the statement from the MoD added.
His staff and instructional assignments include Divisional Officer at the National Defence Academy, Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attache in Kazakhstan, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch, Colonel General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Eastern Command, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence at Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army), Brigadier General Staff (Operations) in Eastern Command, Chief Instructor (Army) at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and Chief of Staff at Headquarters Northern Command.
The Ministry of Defence said the officer possesses "insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the Western and Northern Borders".
For his distinguished service, Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
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