Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat was appointed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on December 30 with a mandate to bring in convergence in the functioning of the Army, Navy and the Air Force and bolster the country’s military prowess.

Gen Rawat will continue as the four-star General and will be the principal military adviser to the defence minister. He will also head the new department of military affairs.

The appointment of the CDS was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address. The recommendation of appointing a CDS was done by the Kargil Review Committee of 1999. Following Modi’s announcement, a committee under the National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was formed to recommend on the role and charter of duties of the CDS.

Duties of the CDS

The government had issued a gazette modifying the Service Rules of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to enable the appointment of the CDS and fixing the upper age limit at 65.

Mentioning the mandate of the department of military affairs, the government statement said it will be for…

* Promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.

* Facilitation of restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint / theatre commands.

* Promoting the use of indigenous equipment by the services.

The department of military affairs headed by the CDS will deal with a plethora of areas including the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as with integrated headquarters of the defence ministry. It will also deal with the Territorial Army besides procurement exclusive to the services except capital acquisitions as per prevalent rules and procedures.

Gen Rawat as the CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three service chiefs, so that he will be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership. He will administer tri-service organisations. Tri-service agencies / organisations / commands related to Cyber and Space will be under the command of the CDS.

Gen Rawat’s stint as the Army chief had started with a military turmoil after he was picked by the government, ignoring two senior officers above him. Gen Rawat is superannuating on December 31 and Vice-Chief of Army Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane has already been appointed as the next Chief of Army Staff to succeed him.

Congratulating Gen Rawat, former army chief Gen Ved Malik (retd) said, “A much awaited measure to optimise combat power of India’s armed forces. It will bring about greater jointness, synergy and better civil-military relations. Single-point military advice should enable the CDS to be in the decision-making loop on defence-related policies.”

A reform-minded general

During his three-year tenure as the Army chief, Gen Rawat had not only introduced a paradigm concept of hybrid warfare, but had also done a restructuring of the Indian Army to make it more lethal. He had ordered four studies on force restructuring and transformation of the Indian Army, including restructuring of Army headquarters, force restructuring, cadre review of officers and review of terms and conditions of junior commissioned officers and other ranks.

Gen Rawat was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the 11th Gorkha Rifles in December 1978 from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’.

The General Officer has vast experience in high-altitude warfare and counter-insurgency operations. He commanded an Infantry battalion, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the Eastern Sector; a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir valley, a Corps in the Eastern theatre and the Southern Command. He has tenanted instructional appointments at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and Army War College, Mhow.

Before taking over as the Army chief, Gen Rawat had held important staff appointments at Directorate General of Military Operations and Military Secretary’s Branch at Army HQ. He has also been Major General General Staff (MGGS) at HQ, Eastern Command. The General Officer commanded a Multinational Brigade in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While serving with the UN, he was twice awarded the Force Commander’s Commendation.

Academically inclined, he has authored numerous articles on national security and leadership, which have been published in various journals and publications. He was awarded an MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University. He has a Diploma in Management and another Diploma in Computer Studies. Gen Rawat has also completed his research on military media strategic studies and was awarded a PhD from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, in 2011.

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