- By Aditya Jha
- Wed, 24 Sep 2025 09:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The centre on Wednesday approved the extension of tenure of CDS Gen Anil Chauhan up to May 2026 or until further orders. Earlier in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Defence Ministry said the government has approved the extension of service of Gen Chauhan as Chief of Defence Staff up to May 30 next year. Gen Chauhan's current stint as the top military officer is scheduled to end on September 30.
“Government has approved the extension of service of General Anil Chauhan as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) & Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, upto 30th May 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier," the Ministry of Defence stated on X. The decision of extension of his tenure was expected as a CDS can serve till the age of 65; however, the Army, Navy, and IAF chiefs can serve till 62.
General Chauhan was appointed as the country's second CDS in September 2022 after General Bipin Rawat passed away in a helicopter crash in 2021. General Anil Chauhan led the defence forces in Operation Sindoor against Pakistan earlier in May. Earlier on September 5, Gen Chauhan stated that the unresolved boundary dispute with China is the biggest national security challenge followed by Pakistan's proxy war and its strategy of "bleeding India by a thousand cuts".
"I consider the unresolved border dispute with China as the biggest challenge. The second major challenge is the proxy war being run by Pakistan against India," Gen Chauhan said. "Pakistan's strategy has been to 'bleed India by a thousand cuts. It means keep hurting India slowly at a regular interval and keep the flow of blood continuing in the country," he added.
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The military official said the third biggest security challenge is emanating from the regional instability, especially the way India's neighbouring countries are facing social, political, and economic unrest.