The Union government has given the green light to appoint Lieutenant General (retd) NS Raja Subramani as the new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), replacing General Anil Chauhan, whose term is ending soon.
Lt. Gen. NS Subramani last served as the 47th Deputy Chief of Army Staff till July 2025, before retiring and subsequently serving as Military Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat since September.
He will now assume the position of third Chief of Defense Staff on June 1.
Who is Lt. Gen. NS Raja Subramani?
Born on July 21, 1968, in Mumbai, Lt. Gen. NS Raja Subramani was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles in 1985.
Since then, he has held key leadership roles, including command of II Corps and the 17th Mountain Division.
Lt. Gen. Subramani holds advanced degrees in Defense Studies from the University of Madras, where he completed his Master of Arts (MA) degree and King’s College, London, where he completed his Master of Philosophy (M.Phil), apart from being an alumnus of the Faculty of Arts. National Defense Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA).
Over nearly four decades of service, he served in a wide range of conflict areas and terrains and held numerous command, staff and education appointments.
He commanded the 16th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles Assam, deployed in a counter-insurgency role as part of Operation Rhino. He was later posted as Defense Attache at the Embassy of India in Astana, Kazakhstan. He also served as Assistant Military Secretary in the MS Branch at Army Headquarters with the rank of Colonel. Later, Lt. Gen. Subramani served as Colonel of the General Staff (Operations) at the Eastern Command Headquarters. He also served as Deputy Commander of Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Another key aspect of Lt. Gen. Subramani is his understanding of the operational dynamics on the eastern and northern borders.
Lieutenant General Subramani took over as Commander-in-Chief, II Corps, succeeding Lieutenant General Surinder Singh Mahal. After a one-year tour of duty, he moved to the Northern Command in Udhampur as Chief of Staff, taking office in May 2022.
In March 2023, he assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief, Central Command, succeeding Lieutenant General Yogendra Dimri, who retired in February 2023.
On 1 July 2024, Lieutenant General Subramani assumed office as the 47th Deputy Chief of Army Staff. He took over the post from General Upendra Dwivedi upon his elevation to the post of Chief of Army Staff.
Lieutenant General NS Subramani is one of the most decorated soldiers and has received many military decorations for his service. These include the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Sena Medal (SM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
