Retired Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani will be the country’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as the term of the current CDS, Anil Chauhan, ends on May 30. The central government made an announcement in this regard on Saturday. Subramani will also hold the position of Secretary, Department of Defence. Subramani will be the country’s third CDS.
He retired as Vice Chief of Army Staff in July last year and currently serves as the Military Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat, a position he has held since September 2025.
Similarly, the government has also appointed Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the next Chief of Naval Staff. Both will take office on May 31.
CDS-designate NS Raja Subramani was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in December 1985. He received his military training at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and then attended the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Bracknell, UK.
He previously served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff from July 2024 to July 2025. During his military career spanning over 35 years, he has held several important operational and strategic positions. He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command and the Chief of Staff of the Northern Command, besides holding several key leadership positions in the Army. He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.
On the other hand, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987, is an expert in communications and electronic warfare. He has studied at the NDA, the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the UK, the College of Naval Warfare, and the US Naval War College in the United States.
During his long naval career, Swaminathan commanded warships such as INS Vidyut, INS Vinash, INS Kulish, and INS Mysore. He also served as the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
Krishna Swaminathan has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
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