NEW DELHI: General NS Raja Subramani will on Sunday take charge as India’s next chief of defence staff (CDS), replacing General Anil Chauhan who retired on Saturday. Also, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will take over as the navy chief from Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi who retires on Sunday.New CDS, navy chief to take charge todayThe appointments arrive at a pivotal moment as the armed forces advance theaterisation, a long-awaited reform designed to integrate the military’s resources for future conflicts. Chauhan steered the defence forces through a significant phase of transformation and integration, leaving behind a legacy of service and excellence, the defence ministry said.The new CDS is expected to fast-track the establishment of joint services commands, a key objective of the theaterisation drive. These commands will integrate military elements, assets, and personnel from the three services under a single commander-in-chief.Chauhan, recently submitted a detailed proposal to advance theaterisation to the defence minister. The model 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.Subramani is the third CDS from the army, following Generals Bipin Rawat and Chauhan. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, he was commissioned into the 8th battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985. He is one year junior to army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi and Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retire in June and October, respectively.Swaminathan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy; the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, UK; the College of Naval Warfare in Karanja; and the US Naval War College in Rhode Island. Swaminathan’s tenure coincides with India finalising a multi-billion dollar deal to build next-generation conventional submarines domestically.