New Delhi: Nine months after the death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash, the government on Wednesday appointed Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retd) as the new Chief of the Defense Staff, the country’s most senior military officer.
General Rawat, who was India’s first chief of the defense staff, and his wife were killed in December after a military helicopter crashed in Tamil Nadu, killing 13 people on board. The sole survivor, an air force group captain, later died of severe burns.
General Rawat, 63, took over as India’s first Chief of Defense Staff in January 2020. This position was created to integrate the three services – Army, Navy and Air Force.