Govt initiates course of to determine subsequent CDS, Gen Naravane heads COSC

, after the demise of General Bipin RawatIn a helicopter crash on December 8, the nation’s first Chief of Defense Staff, Army Chief General MM Naravane took over a number of the CDS tasks because the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). The committee, which incorporates the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, is the principle physique deciding navy points.

When the put up of CDS was created on January 1, 2020, with General Rawat taking on, the CDS was appointed because the everlasting head of the committee, the first-ever four-star chief in parity. Afterwards General Rawat handed awayGeneral Naravane has assumed this function as he’s the senior-most among the many serving chiefs.

The demise of General Rawat has created an unexpected state of affairs, with the function falling on the shoulders of General Naravane as per the outdated system, the place the place of committee chairman was rotated between providers on the idea of seniority. This system has been in place since independence, however critics level out that it typically offers the service chief to function the chairman of the COSC for just a few months earlier than retirement.

But now, General Naravane has taken over by default, till a brand new CDS is appointed. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary and Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar are two years junior to General Naravane, who’re resulting from retire in April subsequent yr.

If he’s appointed as CDS, he’ll get three further years. While officers of the rank of lieutenant normal retire on the age of 60, officers of the rank of normal or chief of service retire on the age of 62. The retirement age for CDS is 65 years.

Sources mentioned his seniority has additionally made him a “natural choice” for the CDS, which is but to be determined by the federal government. He isn’t solely essentially the most senior navy officer within the nation, however many within the protection institution are of the view that the CDS needs to be from the Army, at the least until the theater course of is full.

Under General Rawat, the three armies performed research on the potential structure of a unified theater command—three for land, and one every for air protection and maritime safety. However, there are some variations between forces on how the belongings needs to be divided, and who ought to report back to the commander of those newly unified tri-service theaters.

Officials mentioned that General Naravane is more likely to be the following CDS, as he had labored carefully with General Rawat and took over as the military chief from him. But his appointment might have an effect on the road of succession within the military. General Rawat had yet one more yr to go earlier than retiring on the age of 65 on the finish of 2022, till General Naravane retires.

If General Naravane is promoted earlier than his retirement, it should make serving Deputy Chief Lt Gen CP Mohanty the senior-most Army officer. Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi might be subsequent in seniority after Lt Gen Mohanty. Mohanty and Joshi are resulting from retire on the finish of January, until considered one of them is called the following military chief. If General Naravane serves because the Army Chief by April, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Manoj Pandey will change into the senior-most Army officer, and might be in line to take up the rank of General to steer the Army.