The Government has initiated the process to identify the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The top military post fell vacant following the death of CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash last week.
“The process to select the next CDS has begun and the name will be announced soon.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on the sidelines of an event.
In the interim, Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane, who is the seniormost of the three service chiefs, has been entrusted the charge of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), comprising the three service chiefs with the CDS as its Permanent Chairman.
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Gen. Rawat, who had served as the 27th Army Chief from December 31, 2016 till December 31, 2019, took over as the first CDS on January 1, 2020. The age limit for the CDS’s post is 65 years with no fixed tenure defined.
Gen. Naravane, who has tenure till April 2022, took over as the 28th Army chief from Gen. Rawat on December 31, 2019. The Navy and Air Force have just seen a change at the top with Admiral R. Hari Kumar taking over as Chief of Naval Staff on November 30 and V. R. Chaudhari taking over as the Air Chief Marshal on September 30.
The CDS also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Defence Ministry, Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Principal Advisor to the Defence Minister.
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After the appointment of the CDS, the armed forces were brought under the ambit of the DMA, which also deals with works relating to the three Services, and with procurement exclusive to the Services, except capital acquisitions which remains with the Department of Defence. The broad mandate of the CDS includes bringing about “jointness” in “operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, within three years of the first CDS assuming office”.