Lt General Anil Chauhan (retired) is new CDS: 5 things to know about him

The Government of India on Wednesday said Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (Retired) was appointed as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The defence ministry said he will also be functioning as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.

Here are five things about the new Chief of Defence Staff

-He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In 1981, he was commissioned into 11 Gorkha Rifles, a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army.

-The officer, when he was in the rank of Major General, oversaw an Infantry Division in Northern Command's critical Baramulla area. He later commanded a corps in the northeast while serving as a lieutenant general. From September 2019 until his retirement from the service, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command.

-The officer also held significant staff positions, like that of the Director General of Military Operations. The officer had previously served on a United Nations mission to Angola.

-Lt. General Anil Chauhan (Retired) received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal for his honourable and outstanding service in the Army.

-On May 31, 2021, the officer retired from the Indian Army even as he continued to contribute towards strategic and national security issues.