All you need to know about India's new Chief of Defence Staff retired Lt General Anil Chauhan

Lt Gen Anil Chauhan had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India. The officer superannuated from the Indian Army on May 31, 2021.

TN National Desk

Updated Sep 28, 2022, 20:12 IST

President Kovind presents Param Vishisht Seva Medal to Lt. General Anil Chauhan (Photo: Rashtrapati Bhavan/Twitter)

New Delhi: Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (retired) was appointed as India's new Chief of Defence Staff on Wednesday. He will also function as the Secretary to Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs. The development comes some nine months after the death of General Bipin Rawat in a horrific chopper crash.

Lt Gen Chauhan retired last year as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command - a post he had held since September 2019. Prior to that, he had commanded a corps in the North East. In the rank of Major General, the officer had earlier commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command.

"In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retired) had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East India," the Ministry of Defence said.

Lt Gen Chauhan had been involved in the planning of the Balakot surgical strikes and played an important role in the Indo-Myanmar 'Operation Sunrise' that saw the two militaries take on insurgent groups operating near the shared border.

Earlier, the officer had also served on a United Nations mission to Angola.

Soon after his retirement, in 2021, Chauhan was presented with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal by then President Ram Nath Kovind. He is also the recipient of a slew of other honours and decorations including the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

Even after his retirement, he has continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.

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