The Centre on Wednesday announced the appointment of Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
In a statement, the ministry of defence said the retired Lt General will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.
“Govt of India appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs,” the defence ministry statement read.
The appointment came months after the country’s first CDS General Bipin Rawat was killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu’s Niligiris district.
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 the northeast, the statement read.
Born on May 18, 1961, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
He commanded an Infantry Division in the Baramula sector in the Northern Command in the rank of Major General.
He later commanded a corps in the northeast and subsequently became the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service on May 31, 2021.
The officer also tenanted important staff appointments, including the charge of Director General of Military Operations. The officer had also served as 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.