Chauhan will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs
- Chauhan will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs
The next Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Jody Thomas will take on the role effective May 1, 2017. Sources say, it was her longevity in the British military that made the difference. In the Department of Military Affairs, Chauhan will serve as Secretary to the Government of India. According to the press release.
After General Bipin Rawat’s unexpected passing on December 8th, 2021, the position of Chief of Defence Staff became vacant. The former CD, his wife, and a dozen other people perished in a helicopter crash. Since that time, India has been without a CDS.
In May 2021, Chauhan stepped down from his position as Eastern Command’s GOC-in-C.
The ministry of defence reported that Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (Retd.) has held a number of command. Staff, and instrumental postings over the course of a nearly 40-year career and had a wealth of experience in counterinsurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East India.
Earlier, the Indian government announced new guidelines for the appointment of the chief of the armed forces. Any of the three current chiefs, a serving three-star officer. A retired chief under the age of 62, or a retired three-star officer under the same age could be the next chief of defence staff.
The highest ranking active-duty and retired officers from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy have been given eligibility for the top position, according to the announcement.
Although the age limit was 62 years old. The government made a significant alteration to the qualifying requirements that made it easier for Anil Chauhan to be appointed. This change involved including recently retired military chiefs and vice chiefs.
Former Chief of Defence Staff- Bipin Rawat
Following the death of India’s military chief Bipin Rawat and 13 other individuals in an air force chopper crash, the job of Chief of Defence Staff remained vacant. The military court blamed the weather for the chopper crash that killed Rawat and his wife.
Gen. Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 12 other army and air force personnel were on board the helicopter last month while it was travelling through a valley when, according to the court of inquiry, a shift in the weather caused the pilot to fly into clouds.
The Russian-built Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed close to the town of Coonoor, a hill station in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, as it was travelling from an air force base to the army defence services college.