Lieutenant General (retd) NS Raja Subramani will be the country’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The Government of India on May 9, 2026 announced the new appointments. Subramani, who retired as Vice Chief of Army Staff and is currently serving as military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat, will take over as CDS on May 30, replacing General Anil Chauhan. Subramani retired as the Army’s Vice Chief on July 31, 2025, after a military career spanning 39 years. He was appointed Military Adviser in the NSAB last September.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in December 1985. Subramani earlier served as Central Army Commander in Lucknow.
He has insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the western and northern borders, the Army earlier said.
He is also an alumnus of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Bracknell, UK, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
