New Delhi: General Bipin Rawat will take charge as the country's first Chief of Defence Staff on Wednesday. He paid tribute to martyrs at the National War Memorial before inspecting a Tri-Services Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns, and will assume office later in the day.
General Rawat will have his office in the South Block and will have the parent service uniform.
Earlier on December 30, he was appointed as the CDS a day before his retirement, with a mandate to bring in convergence in functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force and bolster the country's military prowess.
His appointment came following a three-year tenure as the Army Chief during which he initiated a series of reforms in the 1.3 million-strong force besides following a policy of "hot pursuit" in dealing with cross border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Gen Rawat will be able to serve as CDS for a period of up to three years after the government amended the rules extending the age of retirement to 65 years.
The Cabinet Committee on Security had, in a landmark decision last week, approved the creation of the CDS who will act as the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all matters relating to tri-services.
A key mandate of the CDS will be to facilitate restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.
Officials said bringing about jointness in logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three services within three years will also be another major mandate of the CDS.
As the CDS, Gen Rawat will also helm the newly created department of military affairs.
The tri-service agencies, organisations and commands relating to cyber and space will be under the command of the CDS, and he will also function as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.
The CDS will also be member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the defence minister and Defence Planning Committee chaired by the NSA.
A high-level committee set up to examine the gaps in the country's security system in the wake of the Kargil war in 1999 had called for appointment of a CDS as a single-point military adviser to the defence minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the creation of the CDS post in his Independence Day speech this year.
