Former CDS General Anil Chauhan Assumes Charge as Director of Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi
Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has taken charge as Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in New Delhi, succeeding Dr Arvind Gupta, the former Deputy National Security Adviser. The Foundation announced the leadership change on 5 October 2026 and welcomed General Chauhan to the role.
In its announcement, VIF said a new chapter had begun under General Chauhan’s leadership and thanked Dr Gupta for his tenure and contribution to the organisation. The think tank described General Chauhan as a distinguished strategic thinker and defence scholar, adding that his experience in national security, defence policy, geopolitics and military transformation would strengthen its research and strategic dialogue.
General Chauhan, India’s second Chief of Defence Staff, retired on 30 May 2026 after serving for more than three years in the post. He was appointed CDS on 30 September 2022 and, in that capacity, also held the offices of Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. As the principal military adviser to the government on tri-service matters, he was closely associated with the push for greater jointness and integration among the armed forces, as well as the proposed theatre command structure.
His appointment to VIF brings to the Foundation a former CDS with extensive operational and staff experience across some of the Army’s most sensitive assignments. Born on 18 May 1961 in Gawana village in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, he is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. He was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles on 13 June 1981.
During his Army career, he commanded the Baramulla-based 19 Infantry Division in the Northern Command as a Major General. After promotion to Lieutenant General, he led the Dimapur-based III Corps in the Northeast and later served as Director General of Military Operations. He went on to become General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 until his retirement from the Army in May 2021. Following retirement, he served as Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat before being brought back to head the CDS post.
General Chauhan has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
Founded in 2009 by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who was also the Foundation’s founding Director before becoming NSA in 2014, VIF is a New Delhi-based public policy think tank focused on foreign affairs, national security, strategy, geopolitics and public policy. It also engages regularly with the diplomatic community in the capital.
The Foundation’s executive committee is chaired by S. Gurumurthy and includes former Ambassador Satish Chandra and former Army Chief General N. C. Vij. With General Chauhan at the helm, VIF now has a recently retired CDS leading an institution that has played an influential role in India’s strategic policy discussions.
