New Delhi: Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd), who is known within the military circles for being both a soldier-scholar and an operational man, has been appointed the new Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs.
He will take over from CDS Gen Anil Chauhan after his extended tenure ends on 30 May.
Lt Gen Subramani is currently the Military Advisor, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He was appointed to that post on 1 September last year, following his superannuation as the Vice Chief of the Indian Army on 31 July 2025.
The NSCS functions as the executive arm of the National Security Council (NSC), providing policy inputs and inter-ministerial coordination on national security matters. Structurally, the council is organised into three tiers: the Strategic Policy Group, the National Security Advisory Board, and the NSCS, which houses verticals such as military affairs, technology, intelligence coordination, and maritime security.
The MA’s office serves as the principal link between the armed forces and the NSCS, providing assessments of operational readiness, force planning, and capability development.
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An NDA graduate
A Graduate of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, Lt Gen Subramani was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.
He is an alumnus of the Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (UK), and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts Degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
While the names of two Serving chiefs were also in consideration, sources said that it was decided to go for a three-star officer as the CDS, which is a four-star rank.
Interestingly, the first two CDS – Late Gen Bipin Rawat and Gen Anil Chauhan – are both from the Army, and Lt Gen Subramani will become the third.
The sources explained that currently, India faces land-based threats, and hence, the Army officers have become the CDS so far.
As reported by ThePrint earlier, once theaterisation is in place, the post of CDS will become rotational.
The sources explained that what went in favour of Lt Gen Subramani was his vast operational experience on both challenging fronts – Pakistan and China – besides in tackling the Northeast insurgency.
In his career, he commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles in counter-insurgency in Assam as part of Operation Rhino, 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu & Kashmir and 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector.
He also has the distinction of having commanded 2 Corps, the premier strike Corps of the Indian Army on the Western Front, and also being the Central Army Commander.
His other key appointments include as Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attache in Kazakhstan, 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 & Kashmir.
He has also served as Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence in the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army), Brigadier General Staff (Operations) in the Eastern Command, Chief Instructor (Army) at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Chief of Staff, Headquarters Northern Command.
He is known for his calm and yet firm demeanour within the military circles and is known as a soldier-scholar.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: What theaterisation could look like: Rotational CDS, three-star theatre commanders in initial years