Centre widens CDS selection pool; serving or retired Lt Generals, Air Marshals & Vice Admirals to be eligible

The post of Chief of Defence Staff has been lying vacant since the death of Gen Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash on December 8

The Defence Ministry has amended the service rules for the army, air force and navy, allowing consideration of retired three-star officers of age less than 62 years, for the post of Chief of Defence Staff, which is lying vacant since the death of India’s first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in December 2021 in a helicopter crash.

In three separate gazette notifications, the ministry said that an officer who is serving as Lieutenant General or General (and their equivalents in IAF and Indian Navy) or an officer who has retired in the rank of Lieutenant General or General but has not attained the age of 62 years, can be appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff.

The critical change has been introduced by amending the Army Rules, 1954; the Air Force Regulations, 1964 and the Naval Ceremonial Conditions of Service and Miscellaneous regulations, 1963. The notifications, dated June 6, have been uploaded to the official website on Tuesday.

Such a change, sources said, would bring into consideration retired officers who were GOC-in-C in the Indian Army commands (and equivalent positions in the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy), but could not rise to become the Chief of the Army Staff (or IAF or Indian Navy chiefs). The moment an officer becomes the Service Chief, he gets two additional years and retires at 62.

The age limit for the CDS is 65 years.

The Union Cabinet in December 2019 approved the creation of the post of the Chief of Defence Staff, who as CDS as well as the head of the Department of Military Affairs was the single point interface between the government and several branches of the armed forces besides guiding the government decisions on procurement, staffing and training as the permanent chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee.

Days later Gen Rawat was appointed as the first CDS on the eve of his retirement as the Army Chief. He began the task of integrating India’s 17 operational commands into a few theatre commands but the task remained unfulfilled because of his untimely death.

While Gen Rawat’s successor Gen M M Naravane's name was speculated as India’s second CDS, the Centre did not take such a decision. Instead, the ministry is reassessing the roles of the CDS and the DMA Secretary to remove the overlaps in the system and streamline the process.