The government on Saturday named Lieutenant General (retd) NS Raja Subramani as the country’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the new Navy chief.
Orders announcing both new appointments were issued early on Saturday.
Subramani, who retired as Vice Chief of Army Staff and is currently serving as military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat, will take over as CDS on May 30, replacing General Anil Chauhan. Swaminathan, who is heading the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command, will take charge on May 31, succeeding Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
Who is Lt Gen Subramani
Subramani retired as the Army’s Vice Chief on July 31, 2025, after a military career spanning 39 years. He was appointed Military Adviser in the NSAB last September.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in December 1985. Subramani earlier served as Central Army Commander in Lucknow.
He has insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the western and northern borders, the Army earlier said.
{{/usCountry}}He has insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of operational dynamics on both the western and northern borders, the Army earlier said.
{{/usCountry}}He is also an alumnus of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Bracknell, UK, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
Subramani will take over the top post at a pivotal moment when key military reforms are underway in the Defence Ministry, including theatreisation. Last September, the government extended the tenure of General Chauhan by eight months.
About Vice Adm Swaminathan
Swaminathan earlier served as the Navy’s Vice Chief.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, United Kingdom; the College of Naval Warfare, Karanja; and the United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, the officer is a specialist in communication and electronic warfare and has held several key appointments in his career, including the Navy’s Chief of Personnel, Controller of Personnel Services, and Chief of Staff of the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command.
His earlier appointments include command of missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash, the missile corvette INS Kulish, the guided missile destroyer INS Mysore, and the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
On promotion to Rear Admiral, he served as Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the Kochi-based Southern Naval Command and played a key role in training across the Navy. He was instrumental in raising the Indian Naval Safety Team that oversees operational safety across all verticals of the Navy.