Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani as The Next Vice Chief of Army Staff

Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani is set to be the next Vice Chief of Army Staff with the government clearing his appointment to the post, official sources said on June 20. The officer, who is presently helming the Army’s Central Command, will succeed Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi. Lt Gen Dwivedi, currently serving as the Vice Chief, will be the next Chief of the Army Staff when incumbent Gen Manoj Pande retires on June 30.

About Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani

An alumnus of National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, the officer also attended the Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (the UK) and National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts Degree from King’s College, London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University.

His military career

Lt Gen Subramani has a distinguished and illustrious military career spanning more than 37 years. Lt Gen Subramani has the distinction of commanding a battalion during ‘Operation Rhino’ in Assam, an infantry brigade along the International Boundary with Pakistan and a ‘Black Cat‘ division in Northeast India. He also commanded Uttar Bharat Area in 2020 and the premier Kharga Corps at Ambala. Lt Gen Subramani also held a number of key positions including that of a brigade major of a mountain brigade, assistant military secretary in the Military Secretary Branch, Colonel General Staff at headquarters Eastern Command, deputy director general of Military Intelligence in the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence and Brigadier General Staff in Eastern Command. In appointing Lt Gen Subramani as the Vice Chief of the Army, the government followed the seniority principle. Lt Gen Subramani was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in 1985.

About Vice chief of army staff(VCOAS)

The Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) is a statutory position in the Indian Armed Forces usually held by a three star lieutenant general. As the second highest-ranking officer to serve in the Indian Army, the VCOAS is the deputy professional head of the Indian Army and a senior adviser to the Minister of Defence. The office holder is usually the second most senior army officer unless the Chief of Defence is an army officer. Eleven of the forty Vice Chiefs have gone on to head the Indian Army as the Chief of the Army Staff. The current VCOAS is Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi who assumed the office on 19 February 2024.