CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (CDS)-LT. GENERAL ANIL CHAUHAN

• Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)-Lt. General Anil Chauhan (retd.) shall also function as the Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.
• The government on Tuesday appointed Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (retd.), former General Office Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Army Commander, as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
• The post has been vacant since the death of the country’s first CDS, Gen. BipinRawat, in a helicopter crash in December 2021.
• “The Government has decided to appoint Lt. General Anil Chauhan (retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as the Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs
• In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Lt. Gen Anil Chauhan had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India, the statement said.
• In June, the government amended the Service Rules of the Army, Navy and Air Force allowing retired Service Chiefs and three-star rank officers eligible for consideration for the country’s top military post.
• However, with an age limit of 62 years on the date of appointment, retired Service Chiefs were largely ruled out especially so for the present consideration.
• Post-retirement, Lt. Gen. Chauhan took over as the Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) from Lt. Gen.
• Vinod G. Khandare who stepped down from the post in October 2021.
• In December 2019, the government approved the creation of the post of CDS who would also function as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
• In addition, the DMA was created as the fifth department in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with the CDS functioning as its Secretary.

Major task ahead

• Rawat was pushing forward the ambitious plan for the reorganisation of the armed forces into integrated theatre commands among other measures to bring in synergy and efficiency.
• This task now falls on the new CDS to build consensus and take the reorganisation process forward, which has been delayed due to a lack of complete consensus and objections on certain aspects from the Air Force.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT