Surprising similarities with General Bipin Rawat; Here’s all you need to know about Lt Anil Chauhan who has been appointed as CDS

New Delhi: In a landmark move, General Anil Chauhan has taken charge as India's new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), more than nine months after the death of General Bipin Rawat in an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu in December 2021. Gen Chauhan who has returned to active duty to serve in this post has said he was proud to be assuming the responsibility of the highest rank in the Indian armed forces.

Interestingly, there are a couple of similarities between General Chauhan and his predecessor General Bipin Rawat who was the country’s first CDS. Both were from Uttarakhand and they were also commissioned in the same unit - 11 Gurkhas.

Though General Chauhan had superannuated in May 2021 as the Eastern Army Commander he has been designated as CDS by the government’s June 7 notification. This notification allowed all serving and retired three-star officers, aged 62 years or below, from either of the three services, eligible to become the CDS for three years, or possibly even more, as reported by The Wire.

This notification was declared after the government opted against promoting either of the three service chiefs in line as the CDS. General Chauhan will also be Secretary of the newly created Department of Military Affairs.

He will also be the military advisor to the defence minister and to the tri-service Nuclear Command Authority and member of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) that oversees material procurements. The CDS willalso be part of the Defence Planning Committee which is responsible for defining India’s military and security policies.