Govt appoints Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani as next Chief of Defence Staff

The Centre has appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Ministry of Defence announced on Friday.

According to the ministry, Lt Gen Raja Subramani will assume office from the date he takes charge and will also serve as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs.

The current CDS, General Anil Chauhan, is set to complete his tenure on May 30, 2026.


Lt Gen Raja Subramani has been serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat since September 1, 2025. Prior to that, he was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff between July 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025. He also headed the Army’s Central Command as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief from March 2023 to June 2024.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy, Lt Gen Raja Subramani was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.

He has also attended the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Bracknell, United Kingdom, and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.

Commanded Army’s 2 Corps, served in Kashmir and Northeast

Over a military career spanning more than four decades, the officer has held several command, staff and instructional appointments across diverse operational theatres and terrain conditions.

He commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles during counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector. He also led the Army’s 2 Corps, one of India’s key strike formations on the western front.

His other assignments included serving as Defence Attaché in Kazakhstan, Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Assistant Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch, Colonel General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Eastern Command, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir, and Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence at Army Headquarters.

He has also served as Chief Instructor (Army) at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and Chief of Staff at Headquarters Northern Command.

The Ministry of Defence said Lt Gen Raja Subramani brings with him “insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the Western and Northern Borders”.

For his service, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.