New Delhi, May 08 : The Centre (GOI) on Saturday appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani (retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who shall also function as Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, officials said.
He will take over from General Anil Chauhan, who completes his tenure on May 30, 2026. Lt Gen Subramani will assume charge with effect from the date of his appointment and continue until further orders.
Lt Gen Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, currently serves as Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat since September 1, 2025. A former Vice Chief of Army Staff (July 2024–July 2025), he has also been General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Command from March 2023 to June 2024.
In a separate Navy appointment, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan has been named the next Chief of Naval Staff. He presently heads the Western Naval Command in Mumbai and will assume charge on May 31, his tenure lasting up to December 31, 2028.
Vice Admiral Swaminathan, commissioned into the Navy on July 1, 1987, is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; Joint Services Command and Staff College, UK; College of Naval Warfare, Karanja; and the US Naval War College, Newport. (KNS)
