Who is Lt. General (Retired) Anil Chauhan, India's new Chief of Defence Staff

Image Source : @ANI Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired), the new Chief of Defence Staff.

Highlights

Lt. General Anil Chauhan (Retired) was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff
He was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981
Chauhan has been a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal among others

The Centre on Wednesday appointed Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The post was previously held by General Bipin Rawa, who was killed in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021.

Who is Lt. General Anil Chauhan?

The retired Lt. General was born on 18th May 1961 and commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981.
He has an extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India and is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
The officer had commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command while he held the rank of Maj General.
Later, he commanded a corps in the North East as a Lt General subsequently becoming the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021.
Other than this, the officer had also served on a United Nations mission to Angola.
The officer retired from active duty in the Indian Army on 31 May 2021. But even after his retirement from the Army, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.
Chauhan has been a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal due to his distinguished and illustrious career in the Indian Army.