General Bipin Rawat Appointed As First Chief Of Defence Staff

Dec 30, 2019

New Delhi: General Bipin Rawat has become the first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of the country. The central government had on Sunday raised the age limit for CDS post to 65 years. Gen. Rawat is retiring from the post of Army Chief on 31 December. Gen. Manoj Mukund Narwane will be the new army chief in the place of Gen. Rawat. The Ministry of Defence has changed the rules of tenure and service in the Army Rules, 1954.

The ministry, in its notification issued on December 28, stated that the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) or the Tri-Services Chief would serve till the age of 65 years. It states that, “Central Government can extend the service of the Chief of Defense Staff in the public interest if considered necessary.’

Earlier, on 24 December, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved the CDS Post and its Charter of Duties. The post of Chief of Defense Staff is the Chief of the three arms of the country. Security experts have been demanding this since the 1999 Kargil conflict. After Kargil, the Group of Ministers (GOM), headed by the then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, also recommended the post of CDS for better coordination between the three arms – Army, Navy and Air Force.

Courtesy: newstracklive.com