The New Chief of Defence Staff: Needs and Challenges

The government has appointed Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan, the former Eastern Army Commander, as the next Chief of Defence Staff. This appointment comes 9 months after the unfortunate death of Gen. Bipin Rawat, the country’s 1st CDS, in December 2021.

Who is the CDS?

• The appointment of a single head for the armed forces and the creation of theatre commands were long delayed because of the bureaucracy’s fear that the armed forces would be removed from the civilian government’s oversight. Such a post was projected as a recipe for coups.
• However, in 2019, the Defence Ministry was reorganized and