SRINAGAR: The Government has appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd), as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date he assumes charge and until further orders.
The present Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, will complete his tenure on May 30, 2026.
Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani is currently serving as Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat since September 1, 2025. Prior to this, he served as Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025, and as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, from March 2023 to June 2024.
Commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985, he is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He has also attended the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Bracknell (UK), 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 the University of Madras.
During a military career spanning over four decades, Lt Gen Subramani has held a range of command, staff and instructional appointments across varied operational environments. He has commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles in counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector. He has also commanded 2 Corps, the Indian Army’s premier strike formation on the Western Front.
His key staff and instructional assignments include Divisional Officer at the National Defence Academy, Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attaché in Kazakhstan, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch, Colonel General Staff (Operations) at Eastern Command Headquarters, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence at Army Headquarters, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) in Eastern Command, Chief Instructor (Army) at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and Chief of Staff, Northern Command.
He has served extensively across both western and northern operational theatres, with deep experience in counter-insurgency and high-altitude warfare.
For his distinguished service, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
