General Bipin Rawat is made the first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) by the government of India. He’s currently serving as army general and will retire on December 31. He’ll take the new responsibility on the following day and report directly to the Prime Minister.
Chief of Defense Staff
It is the first time in India that a CDS is appointed but need of a chief for all defense forces was felt from the time of Kargil war in 1999. PM Modi has promised creating of CDS in his Independence Day speech.
The chief of three forces would report to the CDS and the latter would head the Department of Military Affairs. His salary would be equivalent to the emoluments of a service chief. The CDS post would help in improving coordination among the three services – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Role and requirements of CDS
A committee headed by National Security Advisor AjitDoval would determine the role and responsibilities of the Chief of Defense Staff. But his primary role would be to bring the three forces on same page. The CDS can serve the country till 65 years of age. General Bipin Rawat would serve as CDS till March 2022.
The world congratulated General Bipin Rawat
The US was the first to congratulate the first Chief of Defense Staff of India. The US Department of State tweeted that CDS would further improve US-India joint cooperation. Maldives Foreign Minister also congratulated General Bipin Rawat for becoming the first Chief of Defense Staff of India.
Source: https://bit.ly/36df1Wb