Centre tweaks rules to widen CDS choice pool: Serving & retired 3-star officers also eligible now

What is the News?

The government has tweaked the Army, IAF and Navy rules to widen the “pool of selection” for the chief of defence staff (CDS) post.

What is the chief of defence staff (CDS) post?

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is a high military office that will oversee and coordinate the working of the three Defence Services in India. The CDS is important for the integration of tri-service personnel in India.

What are the new rule changes for the selection of CDS?

The three chiefs (Army, Navy and Air force) serve till the age of 62 or for three years, whichever is earlier, while the CDS can go up to 65.

The gazette notification amending the Army Rules 1954 said that the Central Government may consider “an officer who is serving as Lt General or General or an officer who has retired in the rank of Lt General or General but has not attained the age of 62 on the date of his appointment” for the post of CDS. Similar amendments were carried out in the Air Force and Navy Acts.

Apart from the present Army, IAF and Navy chiefs who are four-star Generals, the rule change made the serving or retired three-star military officers will now be considered for the chief of defence staff (CDS) post.

What is the need for a rule change?

The post of CDS has been lying vacant since Gen Bipin Rawat’s untimely death in a helicopter crash on December 8 last year. Gen Rawat’s death has slowed down the entire process to build integrated war-fighting machinery within budgetary constraints through the creation of theatre commands.

Further, the rule change will widen the “pool of selection” for the country’s top military post.

What are the pending works for CDS?

With the groundwork already done by Gen Rawat, one of the crucial tasks for the new CDS will be to work towards the creation of four new unified commands: the integrated maritime theatre command, the air defence command, and two land-based commands for Pakistan and China.

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre tweaks rules to widen CDS choice pool: Serving & retired 3-star officers also eligible now” published in The Times of India on 8th June 2022.