Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retired) assumed charge as India’s new Chief of Defence Staff on Friday. General Chauhan will be the Principal Military Advisor to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on all Tri-Service matters as well as head Department of Military Affairs as Secretary. He will also be Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
His appointment is expected to bring the focus back on the implementation of the ambitious theaterisation drive to bring synergy among the three services.
In a brief interaction with the media before taking charge, General Chauhan said that it was a matter of pride for him to be nominated as CDS. “There are hopes and expectations among the three services, government and citizens from the new CDS, which I would fulfil to the best of his abilities,” he said.
He added that the security challenges facing the nation will be dealt with jointly by the Services.
He also visited the National War Memorial on Friday morning and called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at South Block.
Delhi | CDS General Anil Chauhan with his father Surendra Singh Chauhan at the National War Memorial today pic.twitter.com/05IdW1WMJo— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2022
A decorated Army officer, 61-year-old Chauhan will also function as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs.
On Wednesday, the government announced appointing Chauhan as the new Chief of Defence Staff, more than nine months after the post fell vacant following the death of Gen Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash. Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) is from the 11 Gorkha Rifles, the same regiment of Gen Rawat.
“He will assume charge as the new Chief of Defence Staff on Friday,” said an official. Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019 when Indian airplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror strike.
He will assume the rank of the four-star General once he takes charge as India’s second Chief of Defence Staff. He will be the first retired three-star officer to return to service in four-star rank. After his retirement as the eastern Army Commander last year, he has been serving as the military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval.
In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retd) held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East India. Lt Gen Chauhan retired from the service in May last year when he was serving as the eastern Army Commander.
As the Eastern Army Commander, he played a significant role in bolstering India’s overall combat readiness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors. On January 1, 2020, Gen Rawat took charge as India’s first CDS with a mandate to bring convergence in the functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force and bolster the country’s overall military prowess.
Another key mandate of the CDS was to facilitate the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through the establishment of theatre commands. In June, the government amended rules paving the way for appointment of any serving or retired Lt General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral under the age of 62 to the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
The change in rules allowed three-star officers to become the CDS along with serving chiefs of the three services. However, the age limit of 62 years for officers to be considered for the post of CDS ruled out a number of officers.
While the age-limit for the three service chiefs is 62 years of age or three years of service, whichever is earlier, the age limit for the CDS is 65 years of age with no fixed tenure defined.
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