The Government of India has appointed Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The post of Chief of Defence Staff has been lying vacant since death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash on 8th December last year.
Key points
- Lieutenant General Chauhan will also function as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge.
- In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and 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 addition to these command appointments, Lt Gen Chauhan also tenanted important staff appointments including the charge of Director General of Military Operations.
- Earlier, he had also served as a United Nations mission to Angola. Even after his retirement from the Army, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.
