Centre amends rules for appointment of next Chief of Defence Staff
India Today
Centre has issued a notification amending the rules of defence forces for the appointment of next Chief of Defence Staff.
The Ministry of Defence has issued a notification amending the rules of defence forces for the appointment of next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The amendment to the service rules of the Army, Navy and Air Force will make serving three-star officers and retired three-and four-star officers eligible for appointment as the next CDS.
As per the notification, the government may consider officers who are serving as Lieutenant General equivalent, General equivalent or officers who have retired in the rank of Lt Gen or Gen but have not attained the age of 62 years, for the post of CDS.
According to the notification issued for the Air Force, the government may consider an officer who is serving as Air Marshal or Air Chief Marshal or an officer who has retired in similar ranks but has not attained the age of 62 years on the date of appointment. Similar notifications have been issued for the Navy.
The office of the Chief of Defence Staff was one of the biggest military reforms and has resulted in more coordination in working between the government and the defence forces.
The defence forces in the country earlier used to go through bureaucracy to get their modernisation projects, promotions cleared, but ever since the Department of Military Affairs was formed, all these functions have come under the military domain.
The task of creating consensus on military issues among the three services has also been given to the CDS.
The CDS post has been lying vacant since the passing away of General Bipin Rawat. India’s first CDS was killed in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8. The untimely death had raised questions about succession in the armed forces.
