General Bipin Rawat demits office as Army Chief, Lt. Gen Naravane to take charge today as the new Chief

By admin Last updated Dec 31, 2019

New Delhi: General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday retired as the Chief of the Army Staff. He’ll take the charge of India’s first Chief of the Defense Staff tomorrow. Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane will take over as the 28th Army chief today.

Speaking to reporters General Rawat said that the Indian Army is better prepared to take on China and Pakistan today. He also expressed his confidence that the new chief will take the Army forward to face the challenges. He also thanked the Army and the countrymen for the support during his tenure as the Army chief.

General Rawat is likely to take charge as India’s first integrated chief on Wednesday. As the CDS he will be heading the newly formed Department of Military Affairs under the Defence Ministry. He will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He will act as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-Services matters. The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services. CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership.

The following areas will be dealt by the Department of Military Affairs headed by CDS:

The Armed Forces of the Union, namely, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence comprising Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters.
The Territorial Army.
Works relating to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Procurement exclusive to the Services except capital acquisitions, as per prevalent rules and procedures.
Promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.
Facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.
Promoting use of indigenous equipment by the Services.