The Centre on Tuesday appointed Lt General Anil Chauhan (retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), more than nine months after General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash.

Lt General Chauhan, who was serving as the Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat following his retirement as Eastern Command Chief in May of 2021, will also function as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders, the defence ministry announced. He is said to be close to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

To enable his appointment as the second CDS, the Ministry of Defence issued a notification in June to allow retired three-star officers from the Army, Air Force, and Navy to become eligible for the most important military post if they are not older than 62. The service rules of the Army, Air Force, and Navy were amended to insert the same clause for making retired chiefs and their seconds-in-command in the armed forces eligible to become the CDS.

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

Born on May 18, 1961, Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In the rank of Maj General, the officer had commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command, the MoD said. Later, as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the North East and subsequently went to become the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command in September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021, the ministry stated.

In addition to these command appointments, the officer also tenanted important staff appointments, including the charge of Director General of Military Operations. Earlier, the officer had also served as a United Nations mission to Angola. The officer superannuated from the Indian Army on May 31, 2021. Lt. General Chauhan (Retired) was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished and illustrious service in the Army.

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