The Centre on Saturday appointed N S Raja Subramani as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), succeeding Anil Chauhan, whose tenure will conclude on May 30, 2026.
In an official notification, the Government of India said Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), has been appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff and will also function as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs from the date he assumes charge “until further orders.”
Subramani is currently serving as Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat, a position he has held since September 1, 2025.
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Before joining the NSCS, he served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025. He had earlier headed the Army’s Central Command as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief from March 2023 to June 2024.
The appointment comes as General Anil Chauhan prepares to complete his tenure later this month. Chauhan had taken over as India’s second CDS following the death of the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, in a helicopter crash in 2021.
Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan Is Next Chief Of Naval Staff
In a parallel announcement, the government appointed Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the next Chief of Naval Staff. He is currently serving as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai and will assume office on May 31, 2026. His tenure as Navy chief will continue until December 31, 2028.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, Vice Admiral Swaminathan is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla, the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, the College of Naval Warfare in Karanja, and the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
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