NEW DELHI: The demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday came as a shock, for it was the loss of the senior-most serving military officer of the country who had more than an year to complete his three-year tenure. There were no immediate thoughts of thinking about his successor.
“Armed forces, driven by a strict and streamlined hierarchy, structure themselves in a way that clarity of commands is in-built. But in this case, nobody was even imagining looking for a successor, so soon,” said an army officer, who did wish to be named.
Maj Gen SB Asthana (retd) said, “The Chief of Defence Staff is also the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. So logically, the senior most services chief should officiate as the CDS till the time the government selects the incumbent.”
The position of CDS, created on 31 December, 2019, is critical and is vested with a whole lot of powers influencing procurement and modernization, promotions, and postings. And, India is continuing with the tense deployment along the Chinese borders and a volatile environment in the neighbourhood.
It won’t be an easy exercise as Air Chief ACM VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar have taken charge recently. Army Chief General MM Naravane retires in April.
“Succession in the forces is deliberate and done in stages. It’s up to the government to select a suitable officer as next CDS,” said Maj Gen SB Asthana.