Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani appointed next CDS; Vice Adm Krishna Swaminathan to head Navy

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani (Retd.) as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), while Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan was named the next Chief of Naval Staff.According to an official announcement, Lt Gen Raja Subramani, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), will also function as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs from the date he assumes charge until further orders.The current CDS, General Anil Chauhan, is scheduled to complete his tenure on May 30, 2026.Lt Gen Raja Subramani has been serving as Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat since September 1, 2025. Earlier, he served as Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025. He was also the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command from March 2023 to June 2024.Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, currently the Western Naval Commander in Mumbai, will assume office as the next Navy chief on May 31. His tenure is expected to continue till December 31, 2028.Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, Vice Admiral Swaminathan is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, United Kingdom, the College of Naval Warfare in Karanja, and the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.