The Defence Ministry today released fresh guidelines broadening the scope of eligible officers for the post of the Chief Of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian armed forces. Any serving or retired Lieutenant General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral under the age of 62 years will be eligible for the post of Chief of Defence Staff. This genuinely opens the doors for the second-highest lively rank officers of the tri-services to possibly supersede their seniors — the chief of the army, air force, or navy — to take on the position and widens the pool from which a CDS can be appointed.
Another exchange in eligibility standards is that recently retired provider chiefs and vice chiefs will also be eligible for the post, though there’s an age ceiling of 62 years.
The go paves the way for India to have a new CDS after General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, and his spouse died on December eight final yr after a military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu, killing over a dozen on board. India has been besides a CDS due to the fact that then.