Newly-appointed first-ever Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday said the focus on Army restructuring, weapon modernisation and non-contact warfare were some of the highlights of his tenure as Army Chief. The Army is “better prepared” to face any challenge that may come up at India's borders with Pakistan and China, Gen Bipin Rawat said.
He demitted officer after retiring as the Army Chief and handing over the charge to incoming Chief M M Naravane. Some of the major artillery gun systems, including the M777 American Ultra Light Howitzers and the K-9 Vajra, and the Sig Sauer assault rifles were inducted into the force in his tenure.
“Till now I was Chief of Army Staff and my mandate was limited to the roles and responsibility I was assigned. Now when I am given a new responsibility, I will think and will work according to the new responsibility and vigour. If someone says that as Army Chief I was working towards whether I would be CDS it will be totally incorrect,” he said here after reviewing a ceremonial guard of honour outside South Block before retiring. He will assume the new responsibility on Wednesday. Rawat also said the army is better prepared to face any challenge from Pakistan and China.
It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself who broke the news to Rawat about his appointment as the CDS during the farewell dinner hosted by the former for the outgoing chief.
Ahead of his taking charge as the CDS, the Government has issued a notification setting up a new Department of Military Affairs (DMA) within the Ministry of Defence. The notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat dated December 30, 2019 states that the CDS will head the DMA and function as a Secretary to the Government.
As per the guidelines approved by the Government last week, the CDS will be a four-star General and will also function as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and as the Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
The DMA will be the first department in the defence ministry. The existing ones are Department of Defence, Department of Defence Production, Department of Defence Research and Development and Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
The armed forces will be brought under the ambit of the DMA headed by the CDS who will deal with issues relating to the three Services and procurement exclusive to the Services except capital acquisitions, as per prevalent rules and procedures. The broad mandate of the CDS includes bringing about jointness in “operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three Services, within three years of the first CDS assuming office.”
The mandate of the DMA includes 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 and promoting use of indigenous equipment by the Services.