General Bipin Rawat has been appointed as India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), will have his office in New Delhi’s South Block and shall have the parent service uniform.
Chief of Defence Staff or CDS is a post that acts as the single-point advisor to the Government of India in the matters of India's military. The proposal for setting up a CDS was contemplated after the Kargil war of 1999 by the K. Subrahmanyam committee
The Chief of Defence Staff is the head of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The CDS is a four-star General with salary and perquisites equivalent to a Service Chief.
The Chief of Defence Staff will also head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), to be created within the Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary.
The Chief of Defence Staff will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Naresh Chandra committee recommended the appointment of a Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) in 2012.
Role of Chief of Defence Staff
- CDS will administer tri-services agencies/organisations/commands related to Cyber and Space.
- CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Raksha Mantri and Defence Planning Committee chaired by NSA.
- Function as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.
- Bring about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc of the three Services, within three years of the first CDS assuming office.
- Implement Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP), and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans (AAP), as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP).
- Assign inter-Services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget.
- Bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.
The Defence Ministry has amended rules to allow the Chief of Defence Staff to serve up to a maximum age limit of 65 years.
The changes were made in the service rules of the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force for extension of retirement age of the Chief of Defence Staff to a maximum of 65 years if a service chief is appointed to the post.
