Gen. Bipin Rawat is first CDS

Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi: Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has been appointed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and will now be the principal advisor to the government on defence issues while also being the Defence Advisor to India’s Nuclear Command Authority.
As CDS, Rawat will also focus on integration and jointness among the three Services — the Army, the Navy and the Air Force — and will steer defence procurement.
He will be working towards the ultimate goal of theatre commands as “facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands”.
The CDS, who will be heading the Department of Military Affairs in the defence ministry as secretary, is likely to be at No. 12 in the warrant of precedence, with the three Service chiefs.
Gen. Rawat as the CDS will be regarded as the first among equals and will function from the South Block office that houses the Army and Navy headquarters besides the defence ministry.
The post of CDS, a creation of the biggest defence reform in Independent India, has been given an upper age limit of 65 years (with extension), which means that Rawat, who turns 62 in March 2020, will become the longest-serving military officer.