General Bipin Rawat Becomes the First CDS of India  

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General Bipin Rawat, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC has been appointed as the first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of India and assumed office from 1 January 2020.The idea of creation of such a post goes back to as early Lord Mountbatten. General K. V. Krishna Rao advanced creation of the post of Chief of Defense Staff in June 1982.HoweverIt was after the 1999 Kargil War that a recommendation for creating the post of Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) was first made. A high-level committee (Kargil Review Committee) set up to examine the gaps in the country’s security system had suggested that the three services should have a Chief of Defence Staff.

Photo-1: Map Kargil War

The committee said the CDS should be a five-star military officer who would act as the single-point military adviser to the Defense Minister. But this recommendation of Kargil Review Committee was not executed so far due to various reasons. The Government of India considered different possibilities and vulnerabilities of creating such post. Following the end of the Kargil war, Kargil Review Committee found there was a lack of communication between the service branches, and therefore suggested to create the position of Chief of Defense Staff (CDS). This was however rejected by many members of the military, arguing that only great or imperial powers engaging in power projection needed that amount of integration. Then in 2012, the Naresh Chandra Task Force recommended a permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC).  The CoSC comprises chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force. The senior-most would act as the chairman.The Chairman was responsible for inter-service synergy. However, as the chairman, CoSC only served as Primus inter pares[1] to the other Chiefs of Staff, he did not wield any power. The Chairman was assisted by the Integrated Defense Staff.The position of Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee has been ceased with the creation of Chief of Defence Staff.

General Bipin Rawat has been appointed as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a newly created post meant to enhance the quality of military advice to the political leadership through integration of service inputs.As per the notification by the government, the upper age limit for the CDS has been fixed at 65 years and he will be a Four-star General.CDS will have dual role. One of the permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee which has the three service chiefs as members, and the other of the head of the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the ministry. The former is a military role while the latter is a role in the government; it is as the head of DMA that his major responsibilities within the ministry will be discharged.

Photo-2 General Bipin Rawat as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)

The ministry already had four departments: Department of Defence; Department of Defence Production; Department of Defence Research and Development; and Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare.

The charter of duties of the DMA was so far looked after by the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Defense Secretary and who is also the secretary in charge of the Defense Ministry.Defense Ministry works exclusively pertaining to military matters that falls within the purview of the DMA while the Department of Defence will deal with larger issues pertaining to defense of the country. The tri-service military training institutions will fall under the DMA, organizations like IDSA and NDC whose remit is broader than military matters will fall under the Department of Defense. It is speculated that whereas the Defense Secretary will be the main “defense” advisor, the CDS will assume the role of being the main “military” advisory, acting as the single-point military advisor to the government and Prime Minister.

The Appointment of CDSwill be decided by the Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). The committee is composed of the Prime Minister of India (who is the Chairman), the Minister of Home Affairs.

The idea of Chief of Defense Staff is not new around the world. In the U.S. there is a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). According to the US Department of Defence website, the CJCS is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and the principal military adviser to the President. In UK, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the Armed Forces and principal military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the government. The UK CDS reports to the Defence Secretary and the Prime Minister, according to the webpage of the UK Defence Ministry.

[1]Primus inter pares is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group, but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their seniority in office.
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