Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Lt General Anil Chauhan to be next Chief of Defence Staff, nine months after Bipin Rawat's death

The Government appointed Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Thursday. He will also function as Secratary of Department of Military Affairs to the Government of India with effect from the date of his assumption of charge. The retired Lieutenant General holds a rich experience of 40 years and has served the country in many decorated positions.

In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India. The post of Chief of Defence Staff has been lying vacant since General Bipin Rawat’s death in a helicopter crash on 8th December last year.

He was born on 18th May 1961 and he hails from Uttrakhand. He was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In the rank of Maj General, the officer had commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command. Later as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the North East and subsequently went to become the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021.

In addition to these command appointments, the officer also tenanted important staff appointments including the charge of Director General of Military Operations. Earlier, the officer had also served on a United Nations mission to Angola. The officer superannuated from the Indian Army on 31 May 2021. Even after his retirement from the Army, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters. For his distinguished and illustrious service in the Army, Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

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