New Delhi, December 30: Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has been named as the first Chief of Defence Staff, which was set up just days ago.
General Rawat was named the Chief of Defence Staff just a day before he was to retire from service after completing a full three-year term as the Chief of Army Staff.
On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who would be the single-point military adviser for the government, as the prime minister used his sixth Independence Day address to publcise one of the biggest defence reforms since Independence.
On Sunday, the Centre had announced 65 as the retirement age for the newly created post of the Chief of Defence Staff.
The Chief of Defence Staff position is an integrated designation, wherein the official acts as a single-point advisor to the government, for all matters concerning the three defence forces – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
The primary role of this position will be to work towards increasing operational coordination among the services and deal with India’s national security with a comprehensive approach. The designation demands specific job-requirements, like handling training and logistics, long-term planning and procurements of the three services.
The post requires the official to focus on the development of the services by optimising procurement, avoiding duplication among the services and streamlining the process.
