Today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that a new Chief of Defence Staff or CDS will be appointed soon and is in progress.

The post of chief of defence staff has been vacant since the death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash on December 8 last year.

“The appointment of the CDS will take place soon. Its process is underway,” the defence minister said at a media briefing to launch the “Agnipath” recruitment program for the armed forces.

Earlier this month, the government issued circular expanding options for the top job.

Under the new rules, active or retired lieutenant generals, air marshals and lieutenant generals under the age of 62 can serve as Chief of Defence Staff.

Under changes to the Army, Air Force and Navy Act, three-star officers are now eligible to become chiefs of defence staff, as well as active-duty chiefs of staff for the three services.

General Rawat took office as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff on January 1, 2020, with a mandate to integrate the operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force to enhance the country’s overall military strength.

Another important task of the Chief of Defence Staff is to facilitate the reorganisation of military commands to optimize resource utilisation through the establishment of joint operations, including through the establishment of theatre commands.

A high-level committee set up after the Kargil war in 1999 to examine vulnerabilities in the country’s security systems recommended appointing the chief of defence staff as a single-point military adviser to the secretary of defence.