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News: The Government has appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) after General Anil Chauhan completes his tenure on 30 May.
About Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
- The CDS is the highest-ranking four-star military officer and permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
- Genesis: The idea of CDS was recommended in 2001 by the Group of Ministers after studying the Kargil Review Committee report of 1999.
- Creation: The post of CDS was created in 2019 on the recommendations of the committee headed by Lt General DB Shekatkar.
- First CDS: General Bipin Rawat became the first CDS in 2019.
- Precedence: The CDS is placed at 12th in the Table of Precedence.
- Appointed By: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister appoints the CDS.
- Eligible Officers: Serving or retired Air Marshals, Air Chief Marshals, Army Commanders, Navy Commanders, and equivalent three-star and four-star officers of the tri-services can be appointed as CDS.
- Age Condition: Retired officers can be appointed as CDS only if they have not attained the age of 62 years on the date of appointment.
- Tenure: The CDS serves up to the age of 65 years and there is no fixed tenure limit.
- Roles and Responsibilities:
- DMA Head: The CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs (DMA)and oversees tri-service policy, staffing, training, and reforms.
- Military Adviser: The CDS acts as the principal military adviser to the Defence Minister on joint operational matters.
- Tri-Service Coordination: The CDS promotes operational synergy and reduces inter-service friction among the three armed forces.
- Procurement Role: The CDS prioritises inter-service procurement and capital acquisition proposals.
- Nuclear Role: The CDS performs an advisory role in the Nuclear Command Authority.
- Tri-Agency Oversight: The CDS supervises Cyber, Space, and Special Operations agencies.
- Command Reforms: The CDS facilitates theatre command creation and restructuring of military commands.
