Chief Of Defence Staff (CDS):
The first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was Bipin Rawat who took office on 1 January 2020 and held it till his death on 8 December 2021
- The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces (CDS) is the military head and chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian Armed Forces.
- The CDS is the senior-most and highest-ranking uniformed officer on active duty in the Indian military, and is the principal staff officer and chief military adviser to the Minister of Defence.
- The CDS is a four-star officer selected from among the serving officers of the Indian Armed Forces. While being “first among equals” among the service chiefs, the CDS is a single-point military advisor to the defence minister.
- The CDS is assisted by a deputy, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.
- The CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Defence, as its secretary.
- Apart from heading the DMA, the CDS is the Permanent Chairperson of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PC-CoSC).
General Bipin Laxman Singh Rawat (1958 – 2021)
- He was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army.
- He served as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in a helicopter crash in December 2021.
- Prior to taking over as the CDS, he served as 57th and last Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee as well as 26th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.
- On 8 December 2021, Rawat died in the crash of an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter in Tamil Nadu.
- He was accompanied by his wife Madhulika Rawat and members of his personal staff, who were also killed in the crash.
