As expected Army Chief General Bipin Rawat  was on Monday night appointed the first ever Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He will assume charge on December 31 when he retires as the Army Chief.  Vice Chief of Army Manoj Mukund Naravane will take over as the next Army Chief.

The CDS will have a tenure of three years or will serve till the age of 65. Rawat will complete  62 years when he retires as the Army Chief. The Union Cabinet on Tuesday last week had approved the creation of the CDS. He will function as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and head the new department of military affairs in the Defence Ministry.

Since Rawat is the senior most Service Chief, as the CDS he will first among equals among service chiefs.  The CDS, who will draw salary equivalent to the Services Chiefs, will be responsible for rationalising weapons procurement procedures, besides integrating the operation of the armed forces.

However, he will not exercise any military command over the three chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Most of the developed countries, including the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) have CDS for ensuring jointness and synergy

Before assuming charge as the Army Chief in 2016, Rawat had gained vast operational experience across a vast spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles.  He commanded an infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) facing China in the eastern sector, a Rashtriya Rifles (RR)sector and an infantry division in the Kashmir valley and corps in the North-East.  As an Army commander, he commanded a theater of operations along the western front.

Prime Minister Narendra Modia in his speech from Red Fort on August 15 this year had made the important announcement about the creation of the CDS and said time has come to enhance coordination among the three services to deal with security challenges facing India.