New Delhi: Finally, the wait for the new Chief Of Defence Staff has over now. Center has appointed the new CDS of the Republic of India. The position has been vacant for more than nine months due to General Bipin Rawat’s passing.
Let’s dive into this breaking news on appointing of new CDS-
Anil Chauhan, a former commander of the Eastern Army, was selected as the next Chief of Defence Staff by the government on Tuesday (CDS). Since the nation’s first CDS, Gen. Bipin Rawat, died in a helicopter mishap in December 2021, the position has been empty.
The next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will be Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (Retired), who will also serve as Secretary to the Government of India’s Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of responsibility and until further orders, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry.
Govt of India appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs: MoD pic.twitter.com/Ohg156uwTx
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2022
According to the announcement done by GOL, Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan had held a number of commands, staff, and instrumental positions throughout the course of his nearly 40-year career and had a wealth of experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India.
In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (Retd) had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India: Ministry of Defence
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2022
The government changed the Army, Navy, and Air Force’s service rules in June to make retired Service Chiefs and officers with three stars eligible for consideration for the nation’s top military position. Retired Service Chiefs were mostly disqualified, especially for the current consideration, due to the age restriction that the retired officer should not have reached 62 years of age on the date of appointment.
Who Is A Chief Of Defence Staff?
The leaders of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force are the only four-star commanders in the nation, making the CDS the most senior uniformed officer in terms of rank and first among equals. The CDS is the senior-most bureaucrat in the defence ministry’s four main departments and serves as the government’s sole point of contact for receiving military advice.
The formation of the position of CDS, who would also serve as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, was authorized by the government in December 2019. (COSC). Additionally, the CDS was appointed as the DMA’s Secretary, making it the sixth department in the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The age restriction for the CDS is 65 years of age with no set tenure, compared to the Service Chiefs’ term of 62 years or three years, whichever comes first.
Who Was The First CDS Of India?
On January 1, 2020, Gen. Bipin Rawat, who had been the 27th Army Chief from December 31, 2016, to December 31, 2019, became the first CDS. On December 8, 2021, he died together with his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 12 other people in a helicopter accident. Lt. Gen. Chauhan, who was born on May 18th, 1961, joined the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He graduated from both the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and the National Defense Academy in Khadakwasla.
He had commanded an Infantry Division in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramula area while holding the rank of Major General. He later oversaw a Corps in the North East as a Lt. General. In September 2019 he was appointed Eastern Army Commander, a position he maintained until May 31, 2021, when he retired from active duty. Lt. Gen. Chauhan additionally held the position of Director General of Military Operations in addition to these command positions.
Upcoming Responsibilities Ahead:
Among other initiatives to increase synergy and efficiency, General Rawat was pushing the ambitious proposal for the reorganization of the armed forces into integrated theatre commands. Within three years of the first CDS taking office, the wide mandate of the CDS calls for achieving “jointness” in “operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three Services.”
It is now up to the new CDS to forge a consensus and move the reorganization process forward, which has been stalled by a lack of total agreement and opposition from the Air Force to some aspects. To fine-tune the modalities, thorough investigations have previously been completed and recent tabletop exercises have been carried out.
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