General Bipin Rawat Appointed First-Ever Chief of Defence Staff, To Oversee All Three Wings of Armed Forces
Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has been named as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Monday. The Chie of Defence staff will be a four-star General and will head the Department of Military Affairs. The announcement came a day before General Rawat’s retirement as the Indian Army Chief.
New Delhi, December 30: Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat was appointed as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet. The Chief of Defence staff will be a four-star General and will head the Department of Military Affairs. The announcement came a day before General Rawat’s retirement as the Indian Army Chief. He was the front runner for the post since the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August this year. Chief of Defence Staff to be Appointed Soon For Bringing Jointness in Military Operations; Key Things to Know About CDS.
On December 28, the Centre amended the Army, Air Force and Navy rules which allows the CDS to serve up to the age limit of 65 years. The CDS will ensure jointness in military operations of three service wings. The Department of Military Affairs will have an appropriate mix of civilian and military officers.
Army Congratulates General Rawat
"Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) shall pursue greater coordination amongst the three Services and ensure unison in employment of military power in line with the dynamic security requirement," the ADGPI further stated.
According to reports, the headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff and newly created agencies for cyber and space will come under the control of the CDS. Tri-service institutions like National Defence Academy (NDA), College of Defence Management in Secunderabad and the National Defence College in Delhi will also be headed by the CDS. Notably, the Chief of Defence Staff will function as secretary of the Department of Military Affairs. Narendra Modi Government Gives 'In-Principle' Approval For Creation of Chief of Defence Staff Post To Enhance Co-ordination Between Three Service Wings.
The announcement for the creation of the CDS post was made by PM Modi during his Independence Day address this year. The demand to create CDS dated back to 1998, when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government came to power. However, the recommendation for creating the post was first made after the Kargil War.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2019 10:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).