General NS Raja Subramani and Admiral Krishna Swaminathan are set to take charge as India's new chief of defence staff and navy chief, respectively, on Sunday. They will succeed General Anil Chauhan and Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, who have retired.
The appointments come at a crucial time as the armed forces advance theatreisation, a long-awaited reform aimed at integrating military resources for future conflicts.
Subramani, the third CDS from the army, is expected to fast-track the establishment of joint services commands, a key objective of the theatreisation drive. These commands will integrate military elements, assets, and personnel from the three services under a single commander-in-chief.
The new CDS is expected to advance theatreisation, a model that 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.
Swaminathan, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, will take over as the navy chief during a significant period, with India finalising a multi-billion dollar deal to build next-generation conventional submarines domestically.
