Chief of Defence Staff (India)

The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces (CDS) is the professional head and permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) of the Indian Armed Forces.[2] The Chief of Defence Staff is the highest-ranking uniformed officer on active duty in the Indian military and chief military adviser to the Minister of Defence. The Chief also heads the Department of Military Affairs. The CDS is assisted by a vice-chief of defence staff, (the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.[3])

Chief of Defence Staff
Seal of the Chief of Defence Staff
Flag of the Chief of Defence Staff
Incumbent
General Anil Chauhan
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM
since 30 September 2022
Integrated Defence Staff
TypeChief of Defence Forces
StatusLeader of the Armed Forces, Highest ranking military officer
AbbreviationCDS
Member of
Reports to Prime Minister
Minister of Defence
ResidenceNew Delhi, India
SeatIntegrated Defence Headquarters
AppointerAppointments Committee of the Cabinet
Term length3 years,
or until the age of 65.[1]
Formation1 January 2020 (2020-01-01)
First holderGeneral Bipin Rawat
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC
DeputyChief of Integrated Defence Staff
WebsiteOfficial website

The first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, took office on 1 January 2020.[4] The position was created with the aim of improving coordination, tri-service effectiveness and overall integration of the combat capabilities of the Indian armed forces.[5] At the time of the creation of the post, no analogous position existed.[6][7]

Setting the stage for appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the government amended Service Rules of the Army, Navy and Air Force, allowing retired Service Chiefs and three-star officers eligible for consideration for the country's top military post.

However, with an age limit that the retired officer should not have attained 62 years on the date of appointment, retired Service chiefs are largely ruled out, especially so for the present consideration.

"The Central Government may, if considered necessary, in public interest, appoint as CDS, an officer who is serving as Lieutenant General or General or an officer who has retired in the rank of Lieutenant General or General but has not attained the age of 62 on the date of appointment," the amendment in the Service Rules of the Army says in the gazette dated 6 June 2022. Similar amendment was made in the service rules of Navy and Air Force as well.[8]

On 28 Sep 2022, the Government decided to appoint Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders.[9]

History

The post of the Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee (Chairman-CoSC) was created in 1947 as a precursor to the post of CDS, responsible for advice to the Defence Minister on all military matters.[10][11] The senior-most of the three service chiefs would be appointed Chairman CoSC.[12]

The need for a Chief of Defence Staff was felt as early as 1960s following wars with Pakistan and China.[13] Over the years the creation of such as post was raised.[14] However, officially, it was only following the Kargil Review Committee's recommendation in 1999 that the Group of Ministers (GoM) officially proposed the creation of the post of CDS in 2001.[15][16] Following committees, including the Naresh Chandra task force in 2012 and the Lieutenant General D. B. Shekatkar Committee in 2016, also proposed their own versions of a CDS.[17] The process of consulting all parties involved began in 2006. In 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Security started the process of making the final decision related to the creation of a post for the CDS.[18][19][20]

The matter had opposition over the years on various fronts.[21] After the war of 1971, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal, had threatened to quit if the post of CDS was created.[22] In 2001 the government was on the brink of making the then Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral, Sushil Kumar, the CDS. A date had been fixed including other formalities. However, due to turf wars, among other reasons, the idea was scrapped.[6]

The official decision to create the position was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2019 at the Red Fort, in New Delhi.[23][24] Following the announcement, a committee was announced on 23 August 2019 under the National Security Advisor, consisting of the Cabinet Secretary, the Defence Secretary and the Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee (C-COSC) among others, to make final the powers of the CDS. The committee was to submit its report within six weeks.[25] By November 2019, the committee had largely completed its tasks.[3] On 24 December, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) formally established the post of Chief of Defence Staff.[26][27]

The first Chief of Defence Staff was General Bipin Rawat who took office on 1 January 2020.[28] On 15 December 2021, following the death of General Rawat,[29] General Manoj Mukund Naravane was appointed Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, pending the appointment of a new CDS.[30] This decision was made, as there was no clear order of succession for the CDS.[31]

Functions

At the time of creation of the post in December 2019, and as the permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the CDS would implement integration and jointness of the three services, assign inter-services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals, command the tri-service agencies, head the Department of Military Affairs and be a member of overall defence planning among other responsibilities.[2][32]

Among the first reforms proposed by the firsts CDS was the creation of an Air Defence Command.[33] Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDS emphasised the need to minimise costly defence imports, give a chance to domestic production even with only 70% of the general staff qualitative requirements, and not 'misrepresent operational requirements'.[34][35] In February 2020, the CDS announced the creation of joint military commands and theatre commands, Integrated Theatre Commands; and that the process of theaterisation will be complete in a number of years.[36][37] Each command will have units from Army, Navy and Air-force working in synergy with each other.[36] In September 2021, the CDS aired views on a prospective rocket or missile force.[38][39]

Uniform and insignia

While the Chief of Defence Staff wears the appropriately coloured uniform of their parent service, the gold-wreathed tri-service emblem of the Indian Armed Forces (the Naval anchor, crossed Army swords and Air Force eagle, all surmounted by the national emblem of India) is used in place of service insignia and unit emblems. The wreathed tri-service emblem is also substituted for service cap badges, uniform button and belt badge service insignia, shoulder flashes and the shoulder rank badges of a four-star officer with the four-star gorget patches similar to that used by a service chief. While the car pennant is that of the officer's parent service, the tri-service emblem is substituted for the rank stars.[40][41]

Rank insignia
Peak Cap
Belt Buckle
Buttons

Appointees
Key

† - Died in office

*-retired from a 4-star rank

No. Portrait Chief of Defence StaffTook officeLeft officeTime in officeService branchMinister of DefenceRef.
1
Bipin RawatPVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC
Rawat, BipinGeneral
Bipin Rawat
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC
(1958–2021)		1 January 20208 December 2021 †1 year, 341 days Indian Army*Singh, RajnathRajnath Singh[28][42]
Vacant
(9 December 2021–29 September 2022)
2
Anil Chauhan PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM
Chauhan, AnilGeneral
Anil Chauhan
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM
(born 1961)		30 September 2022Incumbent1 year, 25 days Indian ArmySingh, RajnathRajnath Singh[43]

See also

References
  1. Dinakar Peri (29 December 2019). "Chief of Defence Staff can serve till 65, says government". The Hindu.
  2. "Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star General". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  3. Gupta, Shishir (19 November 2019). "India's first Chief of Defence Staff will direct three service chiefs". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  4. "Gen Bipin Rawat named as the country's first Chief of Defence Staff". The Economic Times. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. Subramanian, Nirupama (16 August 2019). "Explained: Understanding post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  6. Unnithan, Sandeep (23 August 2019). "Chief of Defence Staff: Can the new superchief call the shots?". India Today. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  7. Singh, Rajneesh (Summer 2017). "Harmonising Military–Bureaucracy Relations in Defence Ministry: Some Thought" (PDF). CLAWS Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2019 – via Centre for Land Warfare Studies.
  8. "CDS selection pool widened: RTD, serving 3-star officers too eligible". 7 June 2022.
  9. "Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)" (Press release). PIB. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  10. Rej, Abhijan; Joshi, Shashank (2018). India's Joint Doctrine: A Lost Opportunity (PDF). Observer Research Foundation. p. 8. ISBN 978-93-87407-49-7.
  11. "Mehra Relinquishes Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairmanship" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 January 1976. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  12. Singh, Rahul (24 December 2019). "Govt sets up Dept of Military Affairs to be headed by Chief of Defence Staff". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  13. Balan, Varun Ramesh (15 August 2019). "A history of the demand for a Chief of Defence Staff". The Week. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  14. Elkin, Jerrold F.; Ritezel, W. Andrew (1984). "The Debate on Restructuring India's Higher Defense Organization". Asian Survey. 24 (10): 1069–1085. doi:10.2307/2644220. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2644220.
  15. Pandit, Rajat (16 August 2016). "India to finally get chief of defence staff, 20 yrs after it was mooted". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  16. Mukherjee, Anit (21 August 2019). "A top post, its promise and peril". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  17. Pandit, Rajat (15 August 2019). "PM Modi: India to have new post of Chief of Defence Staff". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  18. Pubby, Manu (11 July 2018). "India may soon have Chief of Defence Staff". The Economic Times. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  19. PTI (15 December 2016). "CCS to take final decision on Chief of Defence Staff post". Firstpost. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  20. Kanwal, Brig Gurmeet (12 December 2013). "Chief of Defence Staff must be Appointed Immediately". Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  21. Roche, Elizabeth (15 August 2019). "Army chief Bipin Rawat may be first chief of defence staff". Livemint. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  22. Sinha, S.K. (2007). "The Chief of Defence Staff" (PDF). Journal of Defence Studies. 1 (1): 133–137 – via Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
  23. "PM Narendra Modi's mega announcement: India will now have Chief of Defence Staff". India Today. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  24. "Independence Day 2019 Live Updates- India will have a Chief of Defence Staff: PM Modi in I-Day speech". Hindustan Times. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  25. Shishir, Gupta (23 August 2019). "NSA Ajit Doval-led panel to set terms for Chief of Defence Staff position". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  26. Som, Vishnu (24 December 2019). Srinivasan, Chandrashekar (ed.). "India To Get Its First Chief of Defence Staff, Will Be A 4-Star General". NDTV. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  27. Pandit, Rajat (24 December 2019). "India to now get chief of defence staff, will be a 4-star general". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  28. Ranjan, Rajeev (31 December 2019). Nair, Arun (ed.). "General Bipin Rawat took over as Chief of Defence Staff, US Congratulates Him". NDTV. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  29. "IAF Helicopter Crash Live Updates: CDS Gen Bipin Rawat killed in chopper crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor, confirms IAF". The Times of India. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  30. Bhalla, Abhishek (16 December 2021). "Old system till new CDS appointed: Gen Naravane as senior-most service chief fills in for Gen Bipin Rawat". India Today. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  31. Kaushik, Krishn (9 December 2021). "Explained: No clear line of succession, CCS to decide on next CDS". New Delhi: The Indian Express. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  32. PTI (3 December 2019). "Chief of defence staff to come under RTI Act; NSA-led panel submits report". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  33. "Bipin Rawat holds meeting on creating Air Defence Command". The Hindu. 2 January 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  34. "CDS General Bipin Rawat reiterates 'Make in India' for armed forces". The Economic Times. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  35. Pandit, Rajat (10 May 2020). "CDS Bipin Rawat: Forces must shun imports, go for 'Make In India', says Gen Bipin Rawat". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  36. "CDS General Rawat unveils big ticket military reform agenda". The Economic Times. PTI. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  37. Dutta, Amrita Nayak (4 February 2020). "India's joint military theatre command process to finish in 3 years, says CDS Bipin Rawat". ThePrint. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  38. "EXPLAINED: What Is A Rocket Force, Which Gen Rawat Says India Needs To Fight Battles Of The Future". News18. 17 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  39. "India looking at creating rocket force: CDS Gen Rawat". The Times of India. PTI. 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  40. Bhalla, Abhishek (31 December 2019). "Here is what CDS Gen Bipin Rawat's new uniform will look like". India Today. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  41. "Army's Sword, IAF's Eagle and Navy's Anchor on Insignia of India's First CDS Bipin Rawat". News18. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  42. "Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, wife among 13 killed in chopper crash". The Economic Times. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  43. "Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)" (Press release). PIB. 28 September 2022.

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