Lt General (retd) Anil Chauhan

• 30 Sep 2022

On 30^th September 2022 Lt General (retd) Anil Chauhan assumed charge as the country’s second Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

• The post has been vacant for over nine months since the death of the first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash in December 2021.
• This is the first instance since independence, of a three-star Lieutenant General rank officer taking over as a four-star General after retirement.
• Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) is from the 11 Gorkha Rifles, the same regiment of Gen Rawat.
• He was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981 and has served a range of staff and operational appointments including that of Director General of Military Operations.
• Gen Chauhan took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command in September 2019 which he held until his retirement from service on May 31, 2021.

About CDS

• As per charter, the CDS is a four-star General with salary and perquisites equivalent to a Service Chief. The CDS is first among equals with respect to the three Service Chiefs.
• The CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), the fifth department created in the Ministry of Defence, as its Secretary.
• He is also the Principal Military Adviser to Defence Minister and Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
• Tenure: No tenure was defined by the Government in his appointment unlike for Service Chiefs. For instance, the tenure of Service Chiefs is 62 years of age or three years whichever is earlier, while the maximum age limit for the CDS is 65 years of age with no tenure defined.