Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan became the new CDS of the country, 40 years of military experience, know 12 things related to him

CDS Anil Chauhan: Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (Retd) was on Wednesday appointed as the new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of the country. The post was vacant after General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash. The appointment comes more than nine months after the post fell vacant. Chouhan, a 61-year-old China expert, will also serve as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs from the date of his assumption of office and until further orders. He was the Director General of the Army’s Military Operations (DGMO) during the Balakot air strikes in 2019, when Indian fighter jets destroyed a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp inside Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

Lt Gen Chauhan (Retd) will take over as the second CDS of India after taking over as a four-star rank general. After his retirement as Eastern Army Commander last year, he has been serving as Military Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat headed by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. “The Government has decided to appoint Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (Retd) as the next CDS, who will also take charge as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, Government of India, on the date of assumption of charge,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. From now on and will work till further orders.

Know 12 things about CDS-

• • It has been more than 40 years since Lt Gen Anil Chauhan has been in military service. During this time he has held many commands. He has a vast experience of counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the states of the Northeast.

• • He was born on May 18, 1961 and joined the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Army in 1981.

• • He studied at National Defense Academy (NDA) Kharagwasla and Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun.

• • Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan, while holding the rank of Major General, commanded an infantry division in the Northern Command in the Baramulla sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

• • He then headed the Northeast Corps as a lieutenant general. There are 14 corps in the Indian Army.

• • Lt Gen Anil Chauhan also hails from Uttarakhand like former CDS Bipin Rawat.

• • He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command from September 2019 to May 2021 until his retirement.

• • He has also held the post of Director General Military Operations.

• • He has served in the Angola Mission of the United Nations.

• • Lt Gen Anil Chauhan retired from the Army on May 31, 2021.

• • Despite this, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.

• • He has been awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal for his outstanding service in the Army.

What are the responsibilities of CDS?

One of the main responsibilities of the CDS is to bring better coordination in the working of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Along with this, the military strength of the country has to be strengthened. According to the central government, the responsibility of the CDS is as the principal advisor to the Defense Minister of the country. The affairs of the three armies come under him. He will have a place in important defense ministry groups like Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) and Defense Planning Commission (DPC). According to experts, for the post of CDS, the age limit should be 65 years and the tenure can be three years. In such a situation, the tenure of Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan can also be three years. He is 61 years old. Now as the new CDS of the country, he will handle these three responsibilities.

• • First- Responsibility of CDS.

• • Second- Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

• • Third- the responsibility of the Secretary, DMA i.e. Department of Military Affairs. It is a military department, which comes under the Ministry of Defence.