Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane was on Wednesday appointed as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee to ensure synergy among the tri forces of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. The decision was made as the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) fell vacant following the demise of India's first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in the ill-fated IAF helicopter crash on December 8. The Centre placed in an old system under which Gen Naravane will be taking charge till the appointment of the new Chief of Defence Staff is made. The old system was in practice before the position of Chief of Defence Staff was created two years ago.
Key points:
1. The Central government brought in the old system following the unfortunate Mi-17 Chopper crash which took the life of India's first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat. Prior to the creation of the CDS post, the practice was that the senior-most Chief would take over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, and ensure the synergy between the Army, Navy, and Air Force is maintained.
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2. Army Chief Gen MM Naravane was appointed as the Chairman as per the old system as he is the senior-most among the three service chiefs at present. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar were recently appointed at their positions on September 30 and November 30, respectively.
3. According to media reports, it is only a stopgap arrangement till the new CDS is appointed. The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created in 2019 to look after the better coordination and co-operative practices among the three services.
4. The post was created on the recommendations of a committee of defence experts headed by Lt. General D.B. Shekatkar. The government had said that the CDS will head the Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence. The CDS was also the permanent chairman of the existing Chiefs of Staff Committee.
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5. The CDS also had the responsibility to make the Indian military modern and capable of dealing with any emerging security challenges on the Northern or Western borders. The duty also included looking into equipment and arms procurement, training, and staffing of the tri-services.
