News Analysis India

Tag: CDS BIpin Rawat

  • ‘Process to select next CDS has begun, name to be announced soon’

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the government is proceeding with the exercise to find the successor of the deceased Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

    “The process to select the next CDS has begun and the name will be announced soon.” Singh added. The Defence Minister said this while talking to the media on the sidelines of Awards ceremony for Excellence 2021 on the occasion of 96th Raising Day of Directorate General Defence Estates.

    The post of the senior most uniformed officer of the country fell vacant due to the untimely demise of General Bipin Rawat in a IAF chopper crash on December 8 in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. While, of the 10 passengers and four crew members 13 had died on the day of accident Group Captain Varun Singh succumbed to his injuries on December 15 in Command Hospital Bengaluru.

    As first reported by The New Indian Express, General MM Naravane has been entrusted with the charge of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee. With the creation of the CDS, the incumbent will become the permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee.

    ALSO READ | Retired officers can enter CDS race? Bipin Rawat’s successor race to be expedited

    The post of CDS is important as it was created after a long wait in December 2019 and as the first CDS, General Rawat had initiated major reforms and reorganisation of higher defence management of the country.

    Of the many duties and functions of the CDS, a few are — to head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Ministry of Defence and function as its secretary, to act as the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all Tri-Service matters.

    Sources informed that Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary in DMA is handling the officiating charge of the Secretary DMA and the current CISC, who is designated Deputy CDS under the CDS, Air Marshal BR Krishna is functioning as the Deputy CDS and will be reporting to General Naravane.

    General Rawat had initiated restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.

    DMA is the fifth Department of the Ministry of Defence. The other four departments are the Department of Defence, Defence Production, Ex Servicemen Welfare, Defence Research and Development Organisation.

  • Uniformed officers appointed as additional secretary and joint secretaries in department of military affairs

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: In a first, the central government has approved appointment of military personnel of the three forces as the additional secretary and joint secretary in the Department of Military Affairs (DMA).

    The department has been pursuing these proposals since last February and prior to its formation, these positions were held by civilian bureaucrats.

    Names of four armed forces officers have been approved in the circular issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). 

    While Lieutenant General Anil Puri has been approved as Additional Secretary, Major General K. Narayanan, Rear Admiral Kapil Mohan Dhir and Air Vice Marshal Hardeep Bains have been named as Joint Secretaries in the Department of Military Affairs.

    Till now these positions in the DMA were held by the uniformed officers as the officiating appointments. The DMA that comes as a major reform in the higher defence management is in addition to four existing ones viz. the departments of defence, defence research, defence production and development and ex-service welfare. It came into being on January 1, 2020 with the appointment of General Bipin Rawat as the first Chief of Defence Staff. He was the first uniformed officer to be given the rank of the Secretary hitherto preserved only for civilian administrators. Also, two IAS officers, Rajeev Singh Thakur and Shantanu, were moved to the Department of Military Affairs.

    The department that was created to facilitate optimal utilization of resources and promote jointness among the three services handles the integrated headquarters of the ministry of defence, the territorial army, procurement exclusive to services except capital acquisitions and jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the services through joint planning and integration.

    The creation of the theatre commands is being pursued by the DMA.

  • CDS and Air Chief visit Ladakh to review operational preparedness

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: On Monday, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of Air Staff reached Ladakh to take stock of the operational preparedness as high concentration of troops is deployed on both sides of the LAC since May 2020. All the areas of Line of Actual Control (LAC) have been reviewed, including by the Army Chief, within a month.

    Official Sources confirmed, “CDS reached Ladakh in afternoon and will be visiting the forward areas in the Eastern Ladakh.” Gen Rawat will be briefed by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps and other senior military officials about the current situation, added the source.

    Last month, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane had visited eastern Ladakh to review the ground situation in the region that is also experiencing harsh winter. General Naravane also took stock of the preparedness in the Eastern Sector a few days back.

    CDS also had visited the Airbases and the Advanced Landing Grounds of the Eastern Command on January 2. Dibang Valley, Lohit sector and Subansiri valley near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh.

    Air Chief RKS Bhadauria was also in Ladakh on Monday and apart from visiting the forward bases and the Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) there and he also took stock of the indispensable logistics supply. Prior to his forward area visit Air Chief joined the CDS for a comprehensive discussion on operational matters with senior IAF and Indian Army Commanders at Air Force Station Leh.

    “During his visit to Thoise, he reviewed the ongoing logistic operations for support and sustenance of troops in the winter season. He also visited DBO and Nyoma ALGs where he was given a security overview in the respective sub-sectors. At DBO, CAS laid a wreath in homage to the fallen heroes.

    There has been precautionary deployment by Army and the Indian Air Force(IAF) all along the 3488km since military standoff began in eastern Ladakh. Air Chief also had visited the ALGs and the Airbases under the Eastern Air Command last week. The LAC along Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh come under the operational responsibility of the EAC.

    Nearly50,000 troops of the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army are deployed in various locations along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. There have been multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks between the two sides but there has been not any concrete outcome on the issues of disengagement.The standoff erupted on May 5 last year following violent clashes between the troops of the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Pangong lake area.