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Who is Lt General Anil Chauhan?
Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (retd), a former eastern Army commander and director general of military operations, was appointed India's second Chief of Defence Staff on September 28. He is the first retired three-star officer to return to service in four-star rank.
The appointment came after more than nine months since the post fell vacant following the death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash.
A decorated Army officer and an expert on China, Chauhan also functions as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs from the date of his assumption of charge until further orders.
The 61-year-old was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019 when Indian jets pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror strike.
He has served as the military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval after his retirement as the Eastern Army Commander in 2021.
BACKGROUND
Born on May 18, 1961, Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. In a career spanning nearly 40 years, he held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India.
As the Eastern Army Commander, he significantly bolstered India's overall combat readiness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
In the Maj General rank, the officer commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramulla sector in the Northern Command.
Later as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the Northeast and subsequently became the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019. He held the charge until he retired from the service in May 2021.
In addition to these command appointments, the officer tenanted necessary staff appointments, including the Director General of Military Operations charge.
Earlier, the officer had also served on a United Nations mission to Angola.
Apart from his service in the military, Chauhan authored two books: Aftermath of A Nuclear Attack - an analysis detailing the effects of a nuclear fallout, published in 2010 and History of 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre, a chronicle of the regiment written during his command.
A decorated Army officer and an expert on China, Chauhan also functions as Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs from the date of his assumption of charge until further orders.
The 61-year-old was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019 when Indian jets pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in response to the Pulwama terror strike.
He has served as the military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval after his retirement as the Eastern Army Commander in 2021.
BACKGROUND
Born on May 18, 1961, Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. In a career spanning nearly 40 years, he held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India.
As the Eastern Army Commander, he significantly bolstered India's overall combat readiness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
In the Maj General rank, the officer commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramulla sector in the Northern Command.
Later as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the Northeast and subsequently became the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019. He held the charge until he retired from the service in May 2021.
In addition to these command appointments, the officer tenanted necessary staff appointments, including the Director General of Military Operations charge.
Earlier, the officer had also served on a United Nations mission to Angola.
Apart from his service in the military, Chauhan authored two books: Aftermath of A Nuclear Attack - an analysis detailing the effects of a nuclear fallout, published in 2010 and History of 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre, a chronicle of the regiment written during his command.
Latest Updates on Lt General Anil Chauhan
The CDS also stressed the need for joint structures for ISR, logistics, and air defence networks, which have developed independently but now require integration across the Army, Navy, and Air Force
Premium
Lt Gen Anil Chauhan is known to express his views frankly, not necessarily adopting the conventional approach