New Delhi: The Central government has appointed General Bipin Rawat as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The post of CDS will be a General with four stars and will be the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister. He will head the newly created Department of Military Affairs and be responsible for the jointness in training, logistics and procurement of the three services of the military.
The CDS will serve at the post upto the age of 65 years.
The CDS will administer all the organizations of the three services, but the command will be with the Chief of the respective service. The CDS will nevertheless head the newly created agencies for cyber and space and also the Special Forces will be headed by him.
The headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff which comprises of representatives of all the three services will be under the CDS. The Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff will also come under the CDS and he will be renamed as Deputy CDS.
All the tri-services institutions such as National Defence Academy, the College of Defence Management in Secunderabad and the National Defence College in Delhi will be headed by the CDS. He will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
However, the role of the CDS will be more of a coordinator in joint operations and will not have any operational role and military command.
Moreover, the CDS will not be eligible to holy any government office after leaving the post.
The Cabinet has also passed the proposal to create a new Department of Military Affairs.
