Handing over the baton of Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) to Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) B.S. Dhanoa, who retires on September 30. The baton was formally handed over by ACM Dhanoa to Gen. Rawat at South Block on Friday morning, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Air Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria will take over as air chief from ACM Dhanoa, after which Gen. Rawat will be the seniormost service chief. In the present set-up, the seniormost chief functions as Chairman of the COSC.
In a major decision for India’s military reforms and tri-service integration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address in August announced the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who will be above the three service chiefs. A high-level committee, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Defence Secretary, has been appointed to finalise the modalities and charter of the new role and the recommendations are expected to be submitted to the government in November, defence sources said.
The CDS will act as the single-point military adviser to the government on military and strategic issues. Gen. Rawat, who will take over as Chairman of the COSC on September 30, is set to retire on December 31 after three years in office. However, as the seniormost chief, he is the front runner to be the country’s first CDS.
Army chief Gen. Rawat take charge as Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman
