Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, who retires on September 30,hands over the baton
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) B.S. Dhanoa,who retires on September 30, has handed over the baton of Chairman of theChiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) to Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat.The baton was formally handed over by ACM Dhanoa to Gen.Rawat at South Block on Friday morning, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.Air Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria will take over as air chief from ACM Dhanoa, after which Gen. Rawat will be the senior most service chief.In the present set-up, the senior most chief functions as Chairman of the COSC.
In a major decision for India’s military reforms and tri-service integration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address in August announced the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),who will be above the three service chiefs.
A high-level committee, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Defence Secretary, has been appointed to finalise the modalities and charter of the new role and the recommendations are expected to be submitted to the government in November, defence sources said.The CDS will act as thesingle-point military adviser to the government on military and strategic issues.
The present COSC is an additional role and tenures have been short. For instance, ACM B.S. Dhanoa took over as the Chairman of the COSC on May 31 from outgoing Navy chief Adm. Sunil Lanba. However, ACM Dhanoa donned the role for only a few months as he is set to retire on September 30.
Gen. Rawat, who will take over as Chairman of the COSC on September 30, is set to retire on December 31 after three years in office.However, as the senior most chief, he is the front runner to be the country’s first CDS.
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