Bipin Rawat takes charge as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has taken charge as the new Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
Bipin Rawat takes charge as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee

New Delhi: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat took charge as the new Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on Friday. He took the baton from Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa. Dhanoa is set to retire from service by the end of this month. The Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) comprises the chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and the senior-most member is appointed its chairperson.

“The Air Chief will be handing over the baton of the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee to the Army Chief on Friday,” a senior defence ministry official was quoted as saying.

What does the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee do?

The Chairman of COSC is responsible for ensuring synergy among the three services and evolve common strategy to deal with external security challenges facing the country. Rawat could be the last person to hold the post as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that his government will appoint a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who will replace the present tri-service committee.

Rawat is set to retire at the end of 2019.

The backdrop

Dhanoa had taken charge of the position from then Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on May 29.

Rawat comes with tremendous hands-on experience of serving in combat areas and at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades. Before becoming Army Chief, he has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LoC with Pakistan, the LAC with China and in the Northeast.

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