UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) appointed as Chief of Defence Staff

Q1. Within the Ministry of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) functions as the ex-officio Secretary of which one of the following departments?

  • A. Department of Defence
  • B. Department of Defence Production
  • C. Department of Military Affairs
  • D. Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

Q2. The post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in India was brought into existence solely through approval by which one of the following?

  • A. A Constitutional Amendment Act
  • B. An Act of Parliament enacted in 2019
  • C. The Cabinet Committee on Security
  • D. A Presidential Order under Article 53 of the Constitution

Q3. Within the Ministry of Defence, which department is responsible for procurement exclusive to the three Services, except capital acquisitions?

  • A. Department of Defence
  • B. Department of Defence Production
  • C. Department of Military Affairs
  • D. Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

Q4. The Department of Military Affairs was constituted as the fifth department of the Ministry of Defence by an amendment to which of the following?

  • A. The Army Act, 1950
  • B. The Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961
  • C. The Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961
  • D. The Defence Services Regulations, 1987

Q5. The Kargil Review Committee, constituted in 1999 to examine the sole sequence of events leading to the Kargil conflict and to recommend measures for safeguarding national security, was chaired by:

  • A. K. Subrahmanyam
  • B. Naresh Chandra
  • C. Lt Gen D.B. Shekatkar
  • D. Arun Singh

Q6. Which one of the following was the first body to formally recommend, in its report, the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in India?

  • A. Kargil Review Committee, 1999
  • B. Group of Ministers on National Security, 2001
  • C. Naresh Chandra Task Force on National Security, 2012
  • D. Shekatkar Committee of Experts, 2016

Q7. Who assumed charge as the third Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India?

  • A. General Manoj Pande
  • B. General Upendra Dwivedi
  • C. General NS Raja Subramani
  • D. General Anil Chauhan

Q8. With reference to the succession and tenure of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India, consider the following statements: 1. General Bipin Rawat, India's first CDS, was appointed with effect from 31 December 2019. 2. General Anil Chauhan was a serving four-star officer at the time of his appointment as the second CDS in September 2022. 3. Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) assumed charge as the third CDS on 31 May 2026. 4. The tenure of General Anil Chauhan as CDS was extended by the Government in 2025 until 30 May 2026. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. General Bipin Rawat, India's first CDS, was appointed with effect from 31 December 2019.
  2. General Anil Chauhan was a serving four-star officer at the time of his appointment as the second CDS in September 2022.
  3. Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) assumed charge as the third CDS on 31 May 2026.
  4. The tenure of General Anil Chauhan as CDS was extended by the Government in 2025 until 30 May 2026.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q9. With which Regiment of the Indian Army was Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, the third Chief of Defence Staff, commissioned in December 1985?

  • A. The Kumaon Regiment
  • B. The Garhwal Rifles
  • C. The Rajputana Rifles
  • D. 11 Gorkha Rifles

Q10. Immediately prior to his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2026, Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) was serving as Military Adviser to which of the following bodies?

  • A. Defence Planning Committee
  • B. Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff
  • C. National Security Council Secretariat
  • D. Strategic Forces Command

Q11. Including its Permanent Chairman, how many uniformed officers constitute the membership of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) of India in its present form?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Six

Q12. In India's higher defence architecture, the abbreviation 'CISC' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Chairman, Inter-Services Committee on Cyber-warfare
  • B. Chief of Integrated Services Command of the Indian Armed Forces
  • C. Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
  • D. Coordinator, Inter-Service Capital-acquisitions Council

Q13. With reference to the joint/tri-service structures of the Indian Armed Forces, which one of the following is India's first and only fully operational tri-service theatre-type command?

  • A. Strategic Forces Command
  • B. Andaman and Nicobar Command
  • C. Integrated Defence Staff
  • D. Defence Space Agency

Q14. Which one of the following is the highest peacetime distinguished service military decoration of India?

  • A. Param Vishisht Seva Medal
  • B. Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
  • C. Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal
  • D. Vishisht Seva Medal

Q15. In the context of India's military decorations, which one of the following best describes the Sena Medal (SM)?

  • A. A purely wartime gallantry award conferred only for conspicuous bravery in the face of the enemy
  • B. A distinguished service decoration restricted to officers of the rank of Major General and above in the Indian Army
  • C. An award conferred on Army personnel for both individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty/courage and for distinguished service, with separate gallantry and distinguished service variants
  • D. A campaign medal automatically issued to all Army personnel who serve in a notified operational area for a minimum prescribed period