The Defence Ministry on Wednesday said that Lt. General Anil Chauhan (retired) has been appointed as the new Chief of Defence Staff, nine months after the death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash.

Lt Gen Chauhan, 61, will also function as the secretary to the Government of India in the department of military affairs, the release said.

The office of the Chief of Defence Staff, the country's top military officer, fell vacant last year on December 8 after the sudden demise of General Bipin Rawat. Rawat was killed in a helicopter crash along with his wife and dozen others.

This is the first time that a retired officer has been appointed to the top post following changes made by the Centre in rules for selecting a CDS, which made retired personnel eligible.

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Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan as Chief of Defence Staff

Who is Lt Gen Anil Chauhan?

Born on May 18, 1961, Lt Gen Chauhan hails from Uttarakhand. He was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles in 1981. Incidentally, his predecessor, Rawat, was also from 11 Gorkha Rifles. Lt Gen Chauhan passed out from the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

As a Maj General, Lt Gen Chauhan had commanded an infantry division in the critical Baramula Sector in the Northern Command.

He commanded a corps in the North East as the Lt General. From September 2019 till his retirement, Lt Gen Chauhan served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command. The Lt General retired from service in May 2021.

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For his illustrious service spanning nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Chauhan received the Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, India Today reported.

After his retirement, Lt Gen Chauhan became the military advisor at the National Security Council Secretariat, replacing Lt Gen Vinod G Khandare who stepped down from the post in October 2021.

Other responsibilities

Apart from holding command positions, Lt Gen Chauhan also held important staff appointments such as the charge of Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). He held the crucial DGMO post in February 2019 during the Balakot air strike, the Times of India reported.

He has earlier served on a United Nations mission to Angola.

Books and art

Lt Gen Chauhan wrote the book ‘Aftermath of a Nuclear Attack’, which was published in 2010. He has also written the book ‘History of 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre’ while commanding the Regimental Centre.

Lt Gen Chauhan is married to artist Anupama and the couple have a daughter Pragya Chauhan. The retired military officer is believed to be an art aficionado with a keen interest in Tibetan art, Mint reported.

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Tasks ahead

Lt Gen Chauhan will be tasked to take forward his predecessor Rawat’s plan for the reorganisation of the armed forces into integrated theatre commands to drive in synergy and efficiency.

It is mandated that within three years of the first CDS assuming office, the officer will have to ensure ‘jointness’ in “operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three services”, a task that now falls on Lt Gen Chauhan, The Hindu reported

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)