New Delhi: The centre, on Wednesday, Sept 28, appointed retired Lt Gen Anil Chauhan as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
Hailing from Gorkha Rifles, Lt Gen Chauhan has worked during his stint in the service closely with previous CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and with NSA Ajit Doval.
There was a nine months void in such a critical appointment. Lt Gen Chauhan had retired earlier as chief of Eastern Command.
“The Government has decided to appoint Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders,” the official statement said.
In a career spanning nearly 40 years, 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 18th May 1961, Lt Gen Anil 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 Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In the Maj General rank, the officer commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command. Later as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the North East and subsequently became the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019. He held the charge until he retired from the service in May 2021.
