Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) appointed as Chief of Defence Staff

New Delhi, September 28, 2022

The Government has decided to appoint Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.

The appointment will be with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders, an official press release said.

Lt Gen Chauhan is the second officer to hold the position of CDS.

General Bipin Rawat, who was the first to be appointed to the position, died along with 12 others, including his wife Madhulika Rawat, when an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in the misty Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021.

In a career spanning over 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 May 18, 1961, Lt Gen 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 rank of Maj General, the officer had 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 went to become the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021.

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 in a United Nations mission to Angola.

The officer superannuated from the Indian Army on May 31, 2021. Even after his retirement from the Army, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.

For his distinguished and illustrious service in the Army, Lt General Chauhan was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

NNN