New Delhi: Lt Gen (retd) Anil Chauhan on Thursday has been appointed as the country’s new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) nearly nine months after the death of the country’s first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, in a helicopter crash.
General Bipin Rawat had the distinction of becoming the country’s first Chief of Defense.
In December last year, 13 people, including General Rawat, his wife and some other officers, were killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu. Only Air Force Group Captain Varun Singh survived the accident, who later died due to severe burns.
General Bipin Rawat, 63, took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in January 2020. The post was created to integrate the three services – Army, Navy and Air Force. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is the permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. It is the chief military adviser to the defence minister besides giving unbiased advice to the political leadership.
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other army personnel were killed in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiri Hills. Group Captain Varun Singh, who was injured in the accident, died in the hospital during treatment a few days later. An inquiry led by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh had found that the pilot’s attention was diverted due to bad weather which led to the accident.