General Bipin Rawat General Bipin RawatThe appointment of General Bipin Rawat, the current Chief of Army Staff, as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) comes quick on the heels of the historic decision taken by India’s Cabinet Committee on Security on December 24 on the appointment of a CDS, bringing to fruition a matter that has been hanging fire for close to two decades. The momentous decision involves the creation of a new post of CDS in the rank of a four-star general (or equivalent) with salary and perquisites equivalent to that of a service chief. In the past, this role has been attempted by the rotational chairmanship of COSC by the senior-most chief who often held the post for a short tenure, with no time for in-depth study of tri-service issues and integration. The CDS, in turn, will do what no service chief can do, that is, reconcile the viewpoints of all the three services. He will also be responsible for capital acquisitions, defence land, defence accounts, cantonments, border roads, coast guard and a host of other important areas.

Source: Indian Express December 30, 2019 18:33 UTC