New Delhi: A strategist and fine commander, India's new Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan contributed to shaping the country's military policy towards China after the eastern Ladakh standoff escalated following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes.
Known to be forthright yet soft-spoken, Gen Chauhan, as eastern Army Commander from September 2019 to May 2021, injected urgency in bolstering the Indian Army's overall combat readiness along the frontier with China in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors.
As India's new Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chauhan now faces an arduous task of implementing the ambitious theaterisation drive which is aimed at ensuring synergy among the three services and to enhance their overall combat prowess to deal with future security challenges.
Military affairs experts said his key challenge will be to build consensus among the three services for the theaterisation plan as the Indian Air Force has some apprehensions about its roll-out.
"The task ahead of him would be to prepare for joint war-fighting with the three services along with various other stakeholders both in the government and beyond the government, and on occasions also with friendly like-minded countries with similar ideologies," former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Subrata Saha told.
Another retired Army commander described Gen Chauhan as a "fine military" mind who has deep understanding of how to transform the armed forces to deal with the myriad security challenges facing the nation in the future.
"He is polite and collaborative and was popular with his subordinates and peers alike," the commander said.
He said Gen Chauhan contributed significantly in framing the broad military policy in dealing with an aggressive
Chinese People's Liberation Army along the nearly 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC).