Govt all set to appoint new CDS of India; probable list to be sent to Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, December 18: As India lost its first Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat in a tragic helicopter crash, the central government has started the process to appoint the new Chief of Defence Staff and a list of the potential candidates from the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force). The list will be soon submitted to the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who will then take it forward with the cabinet’s appointment committee to choose the most eligible person for the topmost Armed Forces position.

 

According to the officials, the Union government is finalizing a panel comprising the senior commanders from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force to choose the successor of Gen Bipin Rawat after the CDS lost his life in a tragic helicopter crash along with 13 others, including his wife Madhulika Rawat, near Coonoor last week. There is a strong possibility of Army Chief Gen MM Naravane being appointed to the top post taking into consideration his overall experience. Among the three service chiefs, General Naravane is the most senior.

 

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari of the Indian Air Force and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar of the Indian Navy assumed command on September 30 and November 30, respectively. Besides, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane has been appointed as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) that comprises the three service Chiefs. General Naravane assumed the charge as the COSC Chairman amid speculation that he would be made the new CDS of India.

 

If Gen Naravane is selected as CDS, the administration will have to find a successor for him. Lt Gen CP Mohanty, Vice Chief of Army, and Lt Gen YK Joshi, Northern Army Commander, will be the front-runners for the post of Army Chief. After Gen Naravane, Lt Gen Mohanty and Lt Gen Joshi are the senior-most commanders from the same batch. They're both set to retire on January 31, 2022.

 

The position of the Chief of Defence Staff is supreme as the officer is also the Secretary of the Defense Ministry's Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and the Minister of Defence's Principal Advisor. Gen Rawat was appointed India's first CDS on January 1, 2020, with the mission of bringing the Army, Navy, and Indian Air Force together and bolstering the country's overall military capabilities.