Nitin A. Gokhale

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The Indian military is set to witness several changes at the very top in the next three months starting with a new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Gen Anil Chauhan, the current incumbent, was given an extension in September last year until May 30, 2026. So, a new CDS is due by end May. The government is likely to make its choice by end of April. Going by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) notification in June 2022, the selection will have to be limited to either serving or retired three-star officers from across the services who have not attained the age of 62 at the time of their appointment to the post of the CDS (see photo. Just to clarify, a similar notification with relevant changes for the other two services was issued simultaneously which makes Air Marshals and Vice Admirals along with Lt. Generals also eligible for the post of CDS). This amendment to a 2019 notification enabled Gen Anil Chauhan to succeed Gen Bipin Rawat (India’s first CDS) in September 2022. The government, therefore, theoretically, can choose from a very wide field of over 150 or more (both retired and serving) three star officers for the post of CDS. But again, if the government has to go beyond three stars and consider any of the current chiefs for the post of CDS, it can do so. Therefore any guesses about who will succeed Gen Chauhan, will remain just that: speculation. The selection of CDS apart, the Army and the Navy are also up for many changes at the top level. The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Adm. Dinesh Tripathi, is due to retire on May 31 and his school mate, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) will superannuate a month later, on June 30. Choosing their successors appears to be easy. At the beginning of April, a reshuffle of Army Commanders has already been planned and announced. Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, is moving to Delhi as Vice Chief of Army Staff. Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, currently Seth’s No. 2 at Pune will get elevated as the next Southern Army Commander the same day. Lt Gen PP Singh, currently Vice Chief in Army HQ, is slated to replace Lt Gen Manoj Katiyar, who retires on March 31. Similarly, Lt Gen RC Tiwari, the current Eastern Army Commander superannuates the same day. He will be succeeded by Lt Gen VMB Krishnan, who gets promoted. Lt Gen Krishnan is posted as Quarter Master General (QMG) currently. All these postings and reshuffle of the top brass are of course assuming the current system continues and the proposed Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs) are not operational by then. If the joint or integrated theatre commands get off the ground soon, there is likelihood of many changes, promotions and reshuffle in India’s military hierarchy. According to known plans so far, India plans to establish three joint theatre commands—Western, Northern and Maritime—to improve and integrate combat effectiveness of the three armed forces. Officers who will go on to head these commands, will have to be chosen from the current lot, depending on their seniority and merit. Interesting times ahead

@Samster1216 Okay then

@nitingokhale Easier said than done. When you are thinking of war, you cant have one strategy and execute. You have to improvise. Thats what the US has done beautifully. Just because trump does everything in public domain, we have these judgements for him!!

US is soon going to learn: Initiating a conflict is all too easy. Terminating it on terms that suit you, is the harder part

Eating crow already

Capital Calculus 🎥|| India-Canada: From Rupture to Strategic Reset Anil Padmanabhan speaks with Ajay Bisaria, Former High Commissioner of India to Canada @capitalcalculus @Ajaybis @nitingokhale stratnewsglobal.tech/capital-calcul…

🌐 India-Canada: From Rupture to Strategic Reset ➡️ Ajay Bisaria, Former High Commissioner of India to Canada ➡️ On Capital Calculus with Anil Padmanabhan (@capitalcalculus) ➡️ Tune in on 19 March at 7 pm IST @Ajaybis @nitingokhale

Indeed. Vikram Doraiswami did a fabulous job in both Dhaka and London. Now to a bigger challenge which, I a'm sure he will handle with usual aplomb

I stand corrected. The larger point remains though that he has served more outside the traditional areas of China-related assignments.

Vikram K. Doraiswami, currently High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the People's Republic of China, an official announcement said today. Doraiswami, who took Mandarin language training in Beijing in his early career, never got posted to China thereafter, if memory serves me right. Now, he heads there in what is arguably a crucial phase of India-China relationship. P. Kumaran, currently Secy (East) will likely succeed him in London. Other important postings also likely in the neighbourhood soon

Vibrant Village programme by the Indian goverment as a counter to the Chinese Xiaokang villages are expensive to build and maintain, but will need time and investment, says Jayadeva Ranade Watch the full interaction ▶️ youtu.be/ZkNpvnzl29A @CCASDELHI @nitingokhale

So much for close cooperation

WATCH 📹 | War In West Asia: Lessons For India @nitingokhale talks to Lt Gen VK Saxena (Retd), former Director General (Air Defence), Indian Army @RRaviishankarr @CaptDKS bharatshakti.in/war-in-west-as…

WATCH📹 | Ukraine’s $2K Drone Vs $1M Missiles @nitingokhale @RRaviishankarr @CaptDKS youtu.be/_e_qhkCaPXU?si…

WATCH📹 | The World Keeps Trying To Fit India Into A Box, India Refuses To Get In @nitingokhale @PankajSaran11 @natstrat_org youtu.be/x8igdWl1ff4?si…

We are witnessing a 'Goliath Trap.' ​The world’s military superpowers - USA, Russia, Israel - were built for a 20th-century playbook: Shock & Awe. Heavy armor, $100M fighter jets, and $4M interceptor missiles. Powerful, Expensive, and increasingly a liability against a new kind of math. ​Ukraine and Iran have cracked the code of future wars. It’s not about having the best weapon; it’s about having the most expendable ones. ​By using Asymmetric Mass—swarms of $20k drones and low-cost missiles—they force Goliaths to spend millions to defend against thousands. When the cost-exchange ratio is 100:1, the defender loses the economic war before the first shot is even fired. ​The battle-sphere has been democratized. We’ve moved from exquisite tech (few, expensive, perfect) to 'combat-mass' (many, cheap, and 'good enough'). In 2026, air superiority isn't won by a stealth jet anymore—it’s won by the side that can saturate the sky until the enemy runs out of interceptors. ​The era of the 'unbeatable platform' is over. The era of the swarm has begun. The challenge for the defense industry isn't just building better tech—it's building at scale, at speed, and at a price point that makes the 'Goliath Trap' irrelevant. This is the shift we're driving at @DynautonSys.

China has built dual use infra at unrelenting pace along the Line of Actual Control, and India should be cautious and on guard on China's plans, says Jayadeva Ranade Watch the full interaction ▶️ youtu.be/ZkNpvnzl29A @CCASDELHI @nitingokhale

The Economist named Bangladesh as Country of the Year after the "Gen Z revolution". Now they are surpised. How completely stupid can you be?!

WATCH 📹 | War In West Asia: Lessons For India @nitingokhale speaks with Lt Gen VK Saxena (Retd), former Director General (Air Defence), Indian Army @RRaviishankarr @CaptDKS youtu.be/t1wdFtH_NAI?si…

WATCH📹 | Strategic Autonomy, As Researched And Defined By Indians @nitingokhale speaks with Pankaj Saran, Convenor of the NatStrat thinktank 'Exclusive For Members Only' @PankajSaran11 @natstrat_org @nitingokhale youtu.be/McbkdFygMag?si…