New Delhi. It has been less than ten months long wait for the country to get its next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) since the tragic death of its first CDS General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in December last year. The new chief Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (retd) who too hails from Uttarakhand is known to be an authority on border-related issues, has one of the best collections of masks from around the world in the armed forces, and has a solid golf swing.
Apart from being a professional soldier, Lt Gen Chauhan is also an author — his first book Aftermath of a Nuclear Attack was published in 2010, and he has just completed another book, Military Geography of India’s Northern Borders.
The 61-year-old general is senior to the three serving chiefs — General Manoj Pande, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, and Admiral R Hari Kumar. He is from the same regiment as his predecessor General Bipin Rawat — 11 Gorkha Rifles. Chauhan is from the 6th battalion of 11 GR, while Rawat was from 5/11 GR.
Interestingly, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw’s overarching role during the Indo-Pak 1971 war closely relates him as India’s first uncrowned Chief of Defence Staff. He too was from the Gorkha Rifles, thus it can be said that both CDS position and the Gorkha Rifles have an umbilical connect.
According to new rules announced by the government in June, the service of CDS can be extended to 65 years. If that be the case, Chauhan will work with six service chiefs to power the theaterisation drive.
As one of his colleagues who has known him for over 40 years, Lt Gen (Retd) Shokin Chauhan said, “Anil is a one of finest military leaders, and has a reputation for getting things done. He is taking on a demanding appointment and will live up to everyone’s expectations. He is mature, intelligent and focused.”
According to Lt General Shokin Chauhan, the new CDS understands India’s border issues better than most others, with consensus-building one of his strengths, and gave his vote of confidence that the government has picked the right man as Rawat’s successor. He was good at basketball in his younger days, plays golf when he gets the time, and his collection of masks depicting different global cultures is outstanding, he added.
Born on May 18, 1961, Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 GR in 1981. He comes with rich operational experience. Chauhan was the Eastern Army commander from September 2019 and held the charge till his retirement in May 2021. He has also served as Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), commanded a corps in the North-East and a division in Kashmir during his 40-year military service. He has also served as a United Nations peacekeeper in Angola.
As officers from the same regiment, Chauhan was known to be close to Rawat who held him in high esteem and valued his expertise, said another officer. When an army base along the China border in Arunachal Pradesh and a key road that supports military movement near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were named after Rawat earlier this month, Chauhan flew down from Delhi to attend the ceremony.
Lt Gen (Retd) Chauhan will spearhead the theaterisation drive to best utilise the military’s resources for future wars and operations. The drive slowed down after Rawat’s death and the government will now expect Chauhan to provide impetus to the long-awaited military reform by building consensus among the three services.
A decorated Army officer and a China expert, Lt Gen Chauhan will also function as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders. He was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019 when Indian airplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror strike.
Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) will assume the rank of the four-star General once he takes charge as India’s second Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He will be the first retired three-star officer to return to service in four-star rank.
After his retirement as the eastern Army Commander last year, he has been serving as the military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval.
“The government has decided to appoint Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
