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Theaterisation in focus as Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani named next CDS, Vice Adm Krishna Swaminathan new navy chief
Raja Subramani currently serves as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat, headed by national security adviser Ajit Doval.
India on Saturday appointed Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (retd) as the next chief of defence staff (CDS) and Vice Adm Krishna Swaminathan as the new navy chief, filling the top military posts ahead of a major command restructuring.
Subramani will assume office on May 30, succeeding Gen Anil Chauhan. Swaminathan takes charge on May 31, replacing Adm Dinesh K Tripathi.
The appointments arrive at a pivotal moment as the armed forces advance theaterisation, a long-awaited reform designed to integrate the military’s resources for future conflicts.
Subramani currently serves as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat, headed by national security adviser Ajit Doval. He took the position on September 1, 2025, a month after retiring as the army’s vice chief.
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Swaminathan is the flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command.
Subramani “shall also function as the secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders,” his appointment order stated. As CDS, he will serve as the permanent chairman of the chiefs of staff committee and the single-point military adviser to defence minister Rajnath Singh.
The new CDS is expected to fast-track the establishment of joint services commands, a key objective of the theaterisation drive. These commands will integrate military elements, assets, and personnel from three services under a single commander-in-chief.
The outgoing CDS, Chauhan, recently submitted a detailed proposal to advance theaterisation to the defence minister. The model involves raising a China-centric northern theatre command in Lucknow, a Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and a maritime theatre command in Thiruvananthapuram.
The government identified the establishment of theatre commands for the integrated application of force, operational efficiency, and optimal resource utilisation as a key area for focused intervention in 2025.
Under appointment rules, the government can select the CDS from any serving service chief, serving three-star officer, or any retired chief or three-star officer below 62 years of age. The government extended Chauhan’s tenure by eight months last September.
Subramani will be the third CDS from the army, following Gens Bipin Rawat and Chauhan. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, he was commissioned into the 8th battalion of the Garhwal Rifles in 1985.
He previously served as the Central Army commander in Lucknow. Subramani also attended the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Bracknell, UK, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
Swaminathan, the senior-most officer after Tripathi, served as the navy’s vice chief before leading the Western Naval Command. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy; the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, UK; the College of Naval Warfare in Karanja; and the US Naval War College in Rhode Island. Commissioned into the navy on July 1, 1987, Swaminathan specialises in communication and electronic warfare.
