Anil Chauhan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| 2ndChief of Defence Staff | |
| Assumed office 30 September 2022 (2022-09-30)[1] | |
| President | Droupadi Murmu |
| Minister of Defence | Rajnath Singh |
| Preceded by | Bipin Rawat (2021) |
| 58thChairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
| Assumed office 30 September 2022 (2022-09-30)[2] | |
| President | Droupadi Murmu |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Minister of Defence | Rajnath Singh |
| Preceded by | Manoj Mukund Naravane(acting) |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command | |
| In office 1 September 2019 (2019-09-01) – 31 May 2021 (2021-05-31) | |
| Chief of Army Staff | |
| Preceded by | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
| Succeeded by | Manoj Pande |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1961-05-18)18 May 1961 (age 64) |
| Spouse | Anupama Chauhan |
| Children | 1 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | 13 June 1981 – 31 May 2021 30 September 2022 – present (as CDS) |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | .svg) 11th Gorkha Rifles |
| Commands | |
| Service number | IC-39492A |
| Awards | |
GeneralAnil ChauhanPVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM (born 18 May 1961) is afour-star general of theIndian Army, who is the current and 2ndChief of Defence Staff (CDS) of theIndian Armed Forces, since 30 September 2022.[4][5][6]
On 28 September 2022, Gen Chauhan was recalled from retirement and was appointed asChief of Defence Staff (CDS) by theNarendra Modi-led government, following a June 2022 notification which permitted military retirees under the age of 62 to be qualified for the post.[7] Assuming charge two days later, he became the firstthree-star retiree to be appointed to the post, traditionally held by afour-star officer.[7] He succeeded GeneralBipin Rawat, the inaugural holder of the post, who had died in ahelicopter crash in December 2021.[8]
Anil Chauhan was born in aHinduGarhwali Rajput family ofChauhan clan on 18 May 1961, hailing from thePauri Garhwal district,Uttarakhand.[9] After completing his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya atFort William,Kolkata, he joined theNational Defence Academy,Khadakwasla (NDA) as part of the 58 Course in year. He subsequently joined to theIndian Military Academy,Dehradun (IMA) as part of the 68 Course in 1980.[10][11] He is also a graduate of theDefence Services Staff College, Wellington, the Higher Command andNational Defence College courses.[12]
Gen Chauhan was commissioned as asecond lieutenant into the6th Battalion of the11th Gorkha Rifles (6/11 GR) on 13 June 1981 fromIndian Military Academy,Dehradun. Chauhans's staff and instructional assignments include Instructional tenure at HQIMTRAT, Bhutan,Military Observer on a UN Mission to Angola, General Staff Officer 1 (Operations) of the Mountain Division, Director, Perspective & Planning (TAS) at Army HQ, Chief of Staff at HQ 15 Corps and Director General of Discipline Ceremonial & Welfare.
As aMajor general, he commanded theBaramulla-based19th Infantry Division of theNorthern Command. In 2017, on promotion to the rank ofLieutenant general, he was appointedGeneral officer commanding (GOC) of theDimapur-basedIII Corps.[13][14] In January 2018, he was appointedDirector General Military Operations (DGMO), during the course of which he oversaw the execution of two key military operations: the2019 Balakot airstrike against Pakistan and Operation Sunrise - a joint India-Myanmarcounterinsurgency offensive.[15]
On 1 September 2019, he took over as theGOC-in-Chief Eastern Command succeeding Lt GenManoj Mukund Naravane upon his elevation as theVice Chief of Army Staff.[16][17] He superannuated on 31 May 2021 and was succeeded by Lt GenManoj Pande.[18] Following his retirement from active military service he served as a military advisor to theNational Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), headed byAjit Doval, India's fifthNational Security Advisor.[15]
On 8 December 2021, Gen.Bipin Rawat, the inauguralChief of Defence Staff (CDS),died when hisMil Mi-17 helicopter carrying him and 13 others, crashed inCoonoor,Tamil Nadu.[19] Gen Rawat, who had only been in the post for twenty-three months, had no immediate successor to him, as the position of CDS had no definedorder of succession, which led to it becoming vacant.[20] Amidst growing uncertainty over the impending choice of appointing a successor, theUnion Government appointed Gen.Manoj Mukund Naravane, the then-Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), as an acting functionary to the position ofChairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC), as an interim successor in an effort to temporarily oversee Gen Rawat's responsibilities, while simultaneously looking for a successor.[21] Gen Naravane, then the senior most chief amongst thethree branches of the armed forces, was himself reported to be a plausible successor; however, his retirement in April 2022 put an end to those speculations.[22][23]
In June 2022, theMinistry of Defence (MoD) issued agazette notification, which stated that anythree-star officer under the age of 62 -lieutenant general,vice admiral orair marshal, whether serving or retired, would be considered qualified candidates eligible to appointed as CDS.[24] The notification subsequently made Gen Chauhan, who had already retired as a lieutenant general at the age of 60, one of the key frontrunners in the pool of qualified candidates.[25] Around the time of the notification's release, Gen Chauhan was one of 14 candidates from the army, comprising both serving and retired commanders, who were eligible for the position.[26]
On 28 September 2022, the MoD released an official statement announcing that Gen Chauhan had been selected as the new CDS, which subsequently concluded the position's nine-month vacancy.[27][28]
On 31 May 2025, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, in an interview inSingapore during theShangri-La Dialogue, addressed Pakistan's claims of having shot down Indian aircraft duringOperation Sindoor but dismissed the claim that six jets were downed as absolutely incorrect. Emphasizing operational improvements over losses, he stated: “What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” highlighting the identification and rectification of tactical shortcomings, which enabled India to resume effective airstrikes within 48 hours.[29][30] On 24 September 2025,Appointments Committee of the Cabinet extended his service tenure as the CDS andex-officio Secretary,Department of Military Affairs up to 30 May 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, from 30 September.[31][32]
General Chauhan is married to Anupama, an artist.[10] The couple have a daughter, Pragya.[10] An art enthusiast, he is a keen admirer ofTibetan art, a fact which he attributed to his wife.[10] As ageneral officer and later as CDS, Gen Chauhan's life bore several similarities to Gen Rawat's; both men were commissioned in the same regiment, the11th Gorkha Rifles and also hailed from the same ancestral region, the Pauri Garhwal district.[33] As fellow officers, Gen Rawat was said to have held Gen Chauhan with high esteem; in 2022, when a military garrison along theLine of Actual Control was renamed after him, Gen Chauhan was amongst the dignitaries present at the renaming ceremony.[34][35] Chauhan is also said to be close withAjit Doval, with whom he had closely worked with during his retirement.[36]
Apart from his service in the military, Gen Chauhan authored two books:Aftermath of A Nuclear Attack - an analytic detailing the effects of anuclear fallout, which was published in 2010 andHistory of 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre, a chronicle of the regiment he wrote during his stint as its commander.[10][37] According to Chauhan's known acquaintances, he is reputed to be an steadygolfer and an ardent collector ofmasks.[38][39]
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Over the span of his military career across four decades, Gen Chauhan received numerousmilitary decorations. He was awarded theVishisht Seva Medal in 2011, theSena Medal in 2014, theAti Vishisht Seva Medal in 2015, theUttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2018, and theParam Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.[40][41][42]
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 13 June 1981[43] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 13 June 1983[44] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 13 June 1986[45] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 13 June 1992[46] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 16 December 2004[47] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 1 October 2005[48] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 June 2009 (seniority from 8 June 2008)[49] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 1 January 2014 (seniority from 7 October 2011)[50] |
 | Lieutenant General | Indian Army | 1 July 2016[51] |
| General (CDS) | Indian Armed Forces (tri-service) | 30 September 2022[52] |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of Defence Staff 30 September 2022 - Present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefEastern Command 31 August 2019 – 31 May 2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director General of Military Operations 30 January 2018 – 31 August 2019 | Succeeded by Paramjit Singh |
| Preceded by | General Officer CommandingIII Corps 1 January 2017 – 8 January 2018 | Succeeded by |
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