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Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani on Monday reviewed the operational preparedness and logistics capabilities of the Army’s Central Command during a visit to its headquarters in Lucknow, in another of his field-level assessments of the three Services since taking over as CDS in May.
Gen Subramani held discussions with Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, and other senior officers on operational readiness, capability development and the evolving security environment. The review also covered logistics and measures aimed at sustaining the command’s preparedness for emerging operational requirements.
The CDS also visited the under-construction new Central Command Hospital, where he was briefed on the progress of the project and the healthcare infrastructure being planned. The hospital is expected to strengthen medical support and healthcare facilities for personnel and their families in the command.
During his Lucknow visit, Gen Subramani called on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The two discussed matters of mutual interest and the need for continued coordination between the Armed Forces and the state government. The interaction also highlighted the role of military-civil coordination in supporting defence infrastructure and other institutional requirements.
The Lucknow visit comes as Gen Subramani has been undertaking a series of visits to operational commands and strategic formations since assuming charge as the country’s third CDS on May 31. The visits have focused on obtaining a first-hand assessment of operational preparedness, capability development, jointness and the changing security environment.
His early field engagements have included visits to the Western Air Command in June, where he emphasised Jointness, Atmanirbharta and Innovation, and the Western Naval Command, where he reviewed operational preparedness, maritime security initiatives and capability development.
He also visited Jammu and Kashmir in June, including the Northern Command headquarters at Udhampur, XVI Corps at Nagrota and forward areas along the Line of Control. The visit included a review of the security situation, counter-terrorism operations, anti-infiltration measures and operational preparedness.
In another significant field engagement, Gen Subramani visited the headquarters of the South Western Air Command and subsequently the Tata Advanced Systems facility in Vadodara, where he reviewed operational readiness as well as progress on the C-295 aircraft programme and indigenous aerospace manufacturing.
The CDS’s visits have also extended beyond individual Service commands. In August, he inaugurated the fourth Tri-Services Future Warfare Course at the Manekshaw Centre, stressing the growing importance of artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, autonomous systems, information warfare, space technologies and data-driven decision-making in future conflicts. He also called for greater integration among the three Services, industry, academia and research institutions.
The pattern of these engagements indicates a broad field-review agenda covering operational readiness, logistics, jointness, technology absorption, indigenous capability development and future warfare preparedness.
Gen Subramani assumed charge as CDS and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, on May 31, succeeding Gen Anil Chauhan. The Ministry of Defence said at the time that his priorities would include strengthening jointness, integration and synergy among the Services, accelerating indigenous weapons development and induction, and preparing the Armed Forces for emerging security challenges.
The latest review of Central Command is particularly significant given Gen Subramani’s previous association with the formation. He served as its GOC-in-C from March 2023 to June 2024, before moving to the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff. He therefore returns to Lucknow as CDS to review a command he had earlier led, but this time from the perspective of the country’s top military appointment.
The visit underlines the CDS’s continuing emphasis on maintaining operational readiness while simultaneously building resilient logistics, modern infrastructure and capabilities suited to an increasingly technology-driven and multi-domain security environment.
Team BharatShakti
