Why General Chauhan was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff

Sources in the government said the reason behind General Chauhan’s appointment to top office in the defence forces was the grit he had proven to the government in his previous appointments. He had been at the forefront of all the assignments given to him.

Sources said Gen Chauhan had been at the forefront of all the assignments.

General Chauhan held various important positions in the Army even after his retirement in May 2021. His responsibilities included military advisor to the National Security Council(NSC), Eastern Army Commander and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO).

Chauhan was a DGMO of the Indian Army when the Air Force carried out Balakot strikes in Pakistan’s Khyber province.

Soon after the aerial strikes, General Chauhan, as a DGMO, instructed formations for ground deployment to ensure the Pakistan Army could not move in any way. The deployments compelled Pakistanis not to make any manoeuvre as it could have proven fatal.

As the Eastern Army Command chief, General Chauhan was tasked by the army headquarters to keep the Chinese in check in the eastern sector after their misadventures in the North.

As Eastern Army Commander, he was responsible for areas from the Chicken’s Neck in West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh. General Chauhan carried out the force buildup all along the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The buildup was done by keeping formations, including the Brahmastra Mountain Strike Corps, at the forward positions to tackle any misadventure by the adversaries.

As the military advisor to the National Security Council secretariat, he was deeply involved in framing the Indian stand on the LAC in talks with the Chinese at the Corps Commander Level. He was part of the discussions at the China Study Group level to decide on the Indian stand in the talks.

General Anil Chauhan took charge as India’s new Chief of Defence Staff on September 30.