New Delhi: The Union government has extended the tenure of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh by one year, till October 31, 2027, according to an official order issued on Saturday.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the extension of Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, beyond his scheduled tenure ending on October 31, 2026.
"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in the service of Rajesh Kumar Singh, IAS (KL:89) as Secretary, Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence, for a period of one year beyond 31.10.2026, i.e. up to 31.10.2027 or until further orders whichever is earlier," the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) read.
The extension was granted in relaxation of the provisions of Fundamental Rule 56(d) and Rule 16(1A) of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, the order said.
Rajesh Kumar Singh is India’s 40th Defence Secretary, the senior-most civil servant in the Ministry of Defence. He took charge on 1 November 2024 and is a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre. As Defence Secretary, he heads the Department of Defence and is the principal administrative adviser to the Defence Minister, overseeing defence policy, military-civil coordination, defence production, and budgetary administration. Since 31 May 2026, he has also held additional charge as Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman of DRDO. Before becoming Defence Secretary, Singh served as Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) from April 2023 to August 2024, and earlier as Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.