Outgoing Army chief General Bipin Rawat has been named as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
General Rawat was named CDS, a day before he was to retire as the Chief of Army Staff.
A Chief of Defence Staff will serve as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on all matters concerning the tri-services.
The CDS would create synergy in operations and finances for all three-armed forces. General Rawat is the first officer to hold the post of the CDS.
The recommendation to appoint a Chief of Defence Staff was first made by a high-level committee that examined the military’s performance during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
