In News:

• The Union Government has appointed former Eastern Army Commander Lt. General Anil Chauhan as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
• The post has been vacant since the death of the country’s first CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in December 2021.

What’s in today’s article:

• About CDS (Establishment, Need for a CDS, Role, Power, etc.)
• News Summary

About Chief of Defence Staff (CDS):

• The Chief of Defence Staff is the highest-ranking uniformed officer on active duty in the Indian military.
• The first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, took office on 1 January 2020.
• The position was created with the aim of –
• Improving coordination,
• Tri-service effectiveness and
• Overall integration of the combat capabilities of the Indian armed forces.
• Integration refers to the process by which the army, air force and the navy discard their single service approach and embrace a joint vision.
• Age limit –  The retired officer should not have attained 62 years on the date of appointment.

Need for a CDS:

• The need for a Chief of Defence Staff was felt as early as 1960s following wars with Pakistan and China. Over the years the creation of such as post was raised, repeatedly.
• However, officially, it was only following the Kargil Review Committee's recommendation in 1999 that the Group of Ministers (GoM) officially proposed the creation of the post of CDS in 2001.
• Following committees, including the Naresh Chandra task force (2012) and the Lieutenant General D. B. Shekatkar committee (2016), also proposed their own versions of a CDS.
• In 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Security started the process of making the final decision related to the creation of a post for the CDS.

Roles & Powers of the CDS:

• The CDS is a four-star General/Officer who acts as the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all tri-services (Army, Navy and Indian Air Force) matters.
  • Earlier, the Government of India has notified new rules to appoint the CDS who could be anyone from the three serving chiefs, any serving three-star officer, any retired chief who is below 62 or any retired three-star officer also below the same age

• He also acts as the military advisor to the Nuclear Command Authority.
• The CDS is the –
• Permanent Chairman of the existing Chiefs of Staff Committee,
• Member of the Defence Acquisition Council and
• Member of the Defence Planning Committee.
• The CDS has a responsibility for coordination among the three services in equipment and arms procurement, training and staffing.
• The CDS assigns inter-services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget.
• The CDS is also charged with bringing about reforms in the functioning of the three services with the aim to augment combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.

Department of Military Affairs (DoMA):

• The CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence and acts as its secretary.
• The mandate of the Department of Military Affairs includes, among other things, facilitation of restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.

News Summary:

• The Union Government has appointed Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
• He will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.

About Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (Retired):  

• He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
• In 1981, he was commissioned into 11 Gorkha Rifles, a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army.
• When he was in the rank of Major General, then he oversaw an Infantry Division in Northern Command's critical Baramulla area.
• From September 2019 until his retirement from the service in May 2021, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command.