The appointment of Lt Gen Raja Subramani as the next CDS has drawn criticism from multiple quarters, though the logic in some cases is bizarre. Even before the appointment was announced, several publications appeared to suggest that the next CDS should be from the navy or air force as a sign of jointness and integration, and due to the changing nature of warfare from land-centric to multi-domain.

It appeared the authors presumed that any army appointee would lack awareness of other services. However, the government had its own views and appointed General Raja Subramani who, with his vast experience, is ideally qualified. An op-ed was published in the Japan Times title d, “Is Mo di ‘coup-proofing’ Indian Military?” I wonder why the Japanese public would be interested in the appointment of an Indian CDS. Add to this the warped logic in the article stating that by appointing retired officers, the government is ‘coup-proofing’ the country.

It stated, “a retired officer re-entering service on a contractual basis inevitably derives authority less from institutional standing than from political selection.” Possibly the author has neither understood the logic of appointing a retired three-star or the military’s role in preserving democracy. Two other critical articles were published in The Wire and the Indian Express by known defence analysts. In The Wire, apart from questioning the appointment of a third CDS from the army, there was also the illogical comparison of Gen Subramoni being from the Garhwal Rifles and that the first two CDS belonging to the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

Such warped comparisons do not even merit a comment. Both articles raised the issue that Generals Anil Chauhan and Raja Subramani were Military Advisors to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) under the National Security Advisor, highlighting that this was the grooming phase for the appointment. The intent was to link NSA Ajit Doval to the selection. What was ignored is that........

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