General Bipin Rawat (CDS) - the life and times

General Bipin Rawat passed away in a tragic helicoper crash, on 8th Dec, 2021. Remembering his life and times.

General Bipin Rawat (CDS) - the life and times

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• A tragic end: India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat died after a military chopper carrying him and 13 others crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor, killing 13 on board (one was rescued alive). Born in Pauri Garhwal in 1958, Gen. Bipin Rawat had an illustrious and long career as an officer of the Indian Army. An alumnus of St Edward School, Shimla, and the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles (the same unit as his father) in December 1978, from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’.
• Rawat's contribution: He commanded an Infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control (LoAC) in the Eastern Sector; a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley, a Corps in the Eastern theatre and the Southern Command. He also tenanted instructional appointments at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and at Army War College, Mhow. He was key in reducing militancy in the northeast, with one of his career highlights being the Indian Army’s successful response to an ambush by NSCN-K militants in Myanmar in 2015. Under Rawat’s supervision, the mission was carried out from the operation command of the Dimapur-based III Corps.

1. He was involved in the planning for the 2016 surgical strikes, which saw the Indian Army cross the Line of Control into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rawat, it was reported, was keeping an eye on the situation from South Block in New Delhi.
2. Later on 31 December, 2019, he made history by becoming India's first Chief of Defence Staff. The government paved the way for Rawat's appointment to the post by amended Army rules to raise the superannuation age from 62 to 65 years. Rawat also served as the permanent chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee (COSC).
3. During the span of his service of more than 40 years, he was awarded for gallantry and distinguished service with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, and Sena Medal. As an officer, Rawat had experience in high altitude warfare, and is a veteran of counter-insurgency operations in some of India’s most difficult terrains.

• The topmost officer lost: With his demise, India lost the topmost military man, creating a vacuum at the highest levels of India’s military hierarchy. As his loss was being mourned, the role of the chief of defence staff is again being discussed.

1. Formation of CDS role - On 31 December 2019, General Bipin Rawat was selected as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff.
2. The idea of such a role was recommended in 2001 by a Group of Ministers (GoM) tasked with studying the Kargil Review Committee (1999) report.
3. The Kargil Review Committee, headed by K Subrahmanyam in 1999, had recommended a comprehensive review of the national security framework for improved decision-making in defence matters.   (India's MEA S. Jaishankar is the son of K Subrahmanyam, who passed away in 2011)
4. In August 2019, from the Red Fort, PM Modi announced the decision to create the post of Chief of Defence Staff during his Independence Day speech. It wa the culmination of years of effort and deliberations.

• What would the CDS position be: The PM announced that the purpose of the CDS would be to act as the Principal Military Adviser to the defence minister on all tri-services matters so as to provide impartial advice to the political leadership. The rest was history. General Bipin Rawat, then the Army Chief, was soon to be the first CDS of India.

• As the CDS, General Bipin Rawat had these functions to perform -

1. To head the Department of Military Affairs in Ministry of Defence and function as its secretary
2. To act as the principal military advisor to the defence minister on all tri-service matters
3. To function as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
4. To be a member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the defence minister
5. To function as the Military Advisor to the Nuclear Command Authority
6. To bring about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc of the three Services
7. To ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and rationalise it through jointness among the Services
8. To implement Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans, as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan
9. To bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services with the aim to augment combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure

• CDS credentials - According to the government of India, the CDS would be a four-star general belonging to any of the three sectors of the Indian Armed Forces and his salary will be equal to that of a service chief.

• After Gen Rawat, what next: With the passing away of General Bipin Rawat, and with a year remaining in his tenure, an unforeseen situation has been created for the security establishment. Today, Army Chief General M.M. Naravane is the seniormost officer, and his being named as the next CDS is possible if the government follows the seniority principle (which it is not bound to).

1. The demise of General Rawat will create a cascading effect on India's military and if General Naravane is chosen as the next CDS, then the post of Army chief will have to be filled fast by the government.
2. There is, as on date, no clear rule on how the next CDS will be selected. But the task of the new CDS will not be easy as several major decisions pertaining to formation of theatre commands are at a critical point, which need to be cleared immediately for the smooth functioning of the Indian Armed Forces.

• Theatre Commands: General Rawat was tasked with taking the 17 single-service commands that exist today, and combining them into just four geographical commands, each with elements from all three services. As per Gen. Rawat's plan, the theaterisation model sought to set up four new integrated commands — two land-centric theatres, an air defence command, and a maritime theatre command — to best utilise the military’s resources for future wars and operations. This change will completely transform the way Indian defence is organised. Rawat left it midway, sadly. In parallel, he introduced modernisation of the troops of the Armed Forces and also brought in a new approach of staggered procurement of major military platforms.
• Summary: The government has to now quickly act to ensure that the morale of the defence forces is maintained, given the kind of challenges being faced from two aggressive neighbours. General Bipin Rawat - rest in peace, Sir. India is grateful for your contribution in keeping things safe.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the concept of "theatre commands". Why was General Rawat keen on implementing it soon? (2) Explain the manner in which civil-military relations are maintained in India. What is the chain of command, after the CDS post creation? Analyse and explain. (3) Great soldiers like General Rawat are rare. Comment on his contributions, in light of the skirmishes with China at the LAC.

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