CHENNAI: Lieutenant General (retd) NS Raja Subramani, a highly decorated officer who has received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service, was appointed as the third Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He will also serve as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs.
The appointment comes ahead of the completion of the tenure of incumbent CDS General Anil Chauhan on May 30.
Lt Gen Subramani, who retired as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff in July 2025, is known as an expert on Pakistan and China, and is currently serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat in September 2025. He served as Vice Chief of Army Staff between July 2024 and July 2025, and earlier headed the Army's Central Command as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief.
Commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985, the officer is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He has also trained at the Joint Services Command Staff College in the United Kingdom and the National Defence College.
The officer also holds a Master's degree from King's College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from the University of Madras.
Over a military career spanning four decades, Lt Gen Raja Subramani has held several operational, staff, and instructional appointments across counter-insurgency, mountain warfare, and conventional operations. He commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles during counter-insurgency operations in Assam under Operation Rhino, besides leading an infantry brigade in Jammu and Kashmir and the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector.
He also commanded 2 Corps, one of the Indian Army's principal strike formations deployed along the western front.
His staff assignments include serving as Defence Attaché in Kazakhstan, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at Eastern Command, and Chief of Staff at Northern Command. He also served as Chief Instructor (Army) at the Defence Services Staff College in Tamil Nadu.