Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army General MM Naravane has on Thursday been appointed as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the post that was held by late Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who was died in a military chopper crash on December 8 in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. The post has gone vacant following the demise of Bipin Rawat and a week later, it has been filled with Naravane, the senior-most general in the Indian Armed Forces, getting elevated to the post. 

According to reports, the Indian Armed Forces is going into the old system for a brief time as the post of the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which is the erstwhile rank of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has been filled with Naravane for a time-being, until the full-time CDS is appointed. As the Head of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Naravane will be leading the Indian Armed Forces, by being the senior-most among the three service chiefs. 

Before CDS was established, it was the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee who headed the armed forces and following the creation of CDS, the baton of command went to the latter. CDS position was created in 2019 by the Modi regime and General Bipin Rawat was the inaugural holder of the post after assuming it in January 2020. While Rawat has become India's first CDS, he was elevated to the post after serving as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which has now been taken over by Indian Army Chief Naravane. 

As Naravane is leading the race to replace Rawat as the next CDS, his elevation has vividly signalled that he is inching towards the top role to lead one of the world's largest military fleets and arsenals. Normally, the senior-most among the three service chiefs will be awarded the post of the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee due to which Naravane has been picked and after a brief time, he will most likely assume the charge of the Chief of Defence Staff. 

A government official has said, "It is a procedural step that in the absence of a CDS, the senior-most chief takes over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee." The reports say that the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, who used to report to the CDS, will now report to General Naravane temporarily and it must be noted that the CDS will be acting as the permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. CDS is also the Principal Military Advisor to India's Defence Minister. 

Besides assuming the charge of the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Naravane will also be continuing his service as the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS). In his decades-long military career, Naravane had served in some of the key posts including the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army Training Command. 

Following the demise of General Bipin Rawat, the Union government has begun the process of picking Rawat's successor as the CDS. A list of probable candidates is being worked out and these names will be discussed before the Cabinet Committee on Appointments, headed by the Prime Minister. As the CDS doesn't have a direct line of succession, the government can pick anyone for the post considering the seniority. The CDS is a military officer and also a bureaucrat, whose primary task is to provide impartial advice to the political leadership. 

Naravane has been considered the frontrunner to replace Rawat as India's next CDS. Also, the clock is ticking for his retirement. General Naravane has four months in the service as he will be retiring in April 2022. The chopper crash had killed all 14 people on board including Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and top military officials. The Indian Air Force has ordered an inquiry into the accident and on Tuesday, the Chiefs of Staff Committee had met and condoled the death of General Rawat and others. The sole survivor of the crash Group Captain Varun Singh had died due to injuries on Wednesday.