By Col Vijayant Thakur (Retd) · Defence faculty, The Cavalier
Until 2019 the three Services each dealt with the Ministry of Defence through their own headquarters, and no single military officer below the Raksha Mantri was responsible for making them work together. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is the post created in December 2019 to fix that. He is a four-star General who advises the government on tri-service matters, heads a new Department of Military Affairs inside the Ministry and chairs the committee of the three Chiefs. The one thing he does not do is command them.
This page covers the idea's origin, the official charter, how the Department of Military Affairs differs from the Department of Defence, the age rules, and every officer who has held the post. It sits under the higher defence organisation page of our Defence GK library, which shows where the CDS fits in the chain of command.
From Kargil to a Four-Star Post: How the CDS Came About
The idea is older than the post: reviews of India's defence set-up kept finding that no single military officer spoke for all three Services.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1999 | The Kargil Review Committee, chaired by K. Subrahmanyam, recommended a review of the national security framework and a fresh look at the interface between the Ministry and the Service Headquarters (see the Kargil war page) |
| 2001 | A Group of Ministers, building on that report, recommended the creation of a Chief of Defence Staff. HQ Integrated Defence Staff was set up on 1 October 2001 as the secretariat such an officer would need, but without the CDS himself |
| 2012 | The Naresh Chandra Task Force on national security, in its 2012 report, proposed a smaller step: a permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in place of the rotating chair. The proposal was not taken up at the time |
| 2016 | The Shekatkar Committee, set up to improve combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure, reported in December 2016. Press accounts say it backed a four-star officer at the top, either a CDS or a permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee |
| 15 Aug 2019 | The Prime Minister announced the Government's intention to create the post in his Independence Day address to the nation |
| 24 Dec 2019 | The Government approved the creation of the post "in the rank of a four-star General", with salary and perquisites equal to a Service Chief's (PIB's release says the Union Cabinet; its later factsheet says the Cabinet Committee on Security) |
| 30 Dec 2019 | The Allocation of Business Rules were amended to create the Department of Military Affairs; Gen Bipin Rawat was appointed the first CDS with effect from 31 December. He assumed charge on 1 Jan 2020 |
PIB's factsheet says the Cabinet Committee on Security took the decision on 24 December 2019, while that day's press release says the Union Cabinet approved it. The date is the same either way. Announced (15 August 2019), approved (24 December 2019) and took over (1 January 2020) are three different questions.
What the CDS Does, and What He Does Not
The charter below is taken from the Government's release of 24 December 2019. It is the document every exam statement is built from, so learn its wording.
- Chief of Defence StaffFour-star General · pay and perquisites equal to a Service Chief
- Secretary, Department of Military AffairsHeads the new fifth department of the Ministry of Defence; a Secretary to the Government of India
- Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff CommitteeWith the Army, Navy and Air Force Chiefs as members
- Principal Military Adviser to the Raksha MantriOn all tri-service matters; each Chief still advises on his own Service
- Member, Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Planning CommitteeThe DAC is chaired by the Raksha Mantri, the DPC by the National Security Adviser
- Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command AuthorityAdviser only: the strategic arsenal is run by the Strategic Forces Command
- Administers tri-service organisationsTri-service agencies, organisations and commands for cyber and space come under his command
- Commands no oneNo military command, "including over the three Service Chiefs", so that his advice stays impartial
The same release gave him a deadline: jointness in operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, and repairs and maintenance within three years of the first CDS taking office. It also asks him to rank capital acquisition proposals across the Services by the expected budget.
The tri-service bodies (the Defence Cyber Agency, the Defence Space Agency and the Armed Forces Special Operations Division) are on our tri-service agencies page; the 2019 release names the cyber and space ones as under his command. The Strategic Forces Command, which holds the nuclear arsenal, is on its own page.
"Chief" and "Chairman" both sound like command. Neither is. The CDS is first among equals: each Service Chief commands his own Service and still advises the Raksha Mantri on it. The CDS advises on matters that cut across the three, and he is a Secretary in the Ministry. A four-star General is the same rank as a Service Chief; our rank equivalence page shows how the Services' ranks line up.
The Department of Military Affairs Versus the Department of Defence
The Ministry of Defence has five departments, and the DMA is the fifth. The DMA was created by amending the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules in a Cabinet Secretariat notification dated 30 December 2019, and started work under the first CDS. A Ministry order of 9 January 2020 then moved work and staff across from the Department of Defence. The two now split the Ministry's military subjects like this.
| Department of Military Affairs | Department of Defence | |
|---|---|---|
| Head | The CDS, as Secretary | The Defence Secretary, who also coordinates the other departments |
| Core subjects | The Army, Navy and Air Force; the integrated headquarters of the Ministry (Army, Naval and Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters); the Territorial Army; works for the three Services; procurement exclusive to the Services, except capital acquisitions | Defence policy and planning; defence cooperation with other countries; the Defence Acquisition Council's secretariat (shifted to the Acquisition Wing in 2020) |
| Extra mandate | Jointness in procurement, training and staffing; restructuring of military commands, including joint and theatre commands; promoting indigenous equipment | The Ministry's overall policy lead: any matter with a bearing on defence policy is handled here, even if it falls in DMA's list |
Two points are favourites. Capital acquisition stays outside the DMA, and restructuring of commands sits with the DMA and not the Department of Defence, which is what CAPF 2025 tested (below). The other three departments are on the Ministry of Defence page.
PIB's factsheet of November 2021 lists early results: 159 personnel moved across from the Department of Defence, with officers of the three Services posted in; a pilot of three Joint Logistic Nodes at Mumbai, Guwahati and Port Blair; three joint doctrines issued, with Capstone, Space, Cyber and ISR at an advanced stage; and Positive Indigenisation Lists of 101 items (August 2020) and 108 items (31 May 2021).
Who Can Become CDS: Age and Eligibility Rules
The rules were written for the first CDS and rewritten for the second, so there are two layers.
| Layer | What it says |
|---|---|
| December 2019 | A Defence Ministry notification of late December 2019 (reported 29 December) amended the Army Rules, 1954, so that the Central Government may, in the public interest, extend a CDS's service for such periods as it considers necessary, up to a maximum age of 65, longer than a Chief's own limit (the earlier of three years in the post and age 62). PTI reported matching Navy and Air Force changes. No fixed term was announced |
| June 2022 | Fresh gazette notifications, issued on 6 June 2022 and reported on 7 June, widened the pool. In the Army's version, the Central Government may, in the public interest, appoint as CDS an officer who is serving as a Lieutenant General or General, or one who retired in those ranks, provided he has not reached 62 on the date of appointment. Matching amendments cover Vice Admirals and Admirals, and Air Marshals and Air Chief Marshals. The government may extend a CDS's service as it considers necessary, up to age 65 |
Read together: 62 is the cut-off for being appointed; 65 is the ceiling for staying. The 2022 change came while the post was vacant and opened the field beyond a Service Chief about to retire. The second and third CDSs were both officers who had retired as Lieutenant Generals before being appointed. Neither had been a Service Chief.
- 24 Sep 2025: the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet extended the second CDS's service "upto 30th May 2026, or until further orders" (PIB). PIB gives his birth date as 18 May 1961, so he reached 65 in May 2026; his superannuation at 60 was likewise dated 31 May 2021.
- 9 May 2026: the Government named the third CDS, a retired Lieutenant General, to take over after the second CDS completed his tenure on 30 May 2026.
- 31 May 2026: the third CDS assumed charge as CDS and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs.
The Officers Who Have Held the Post
Three officers have held the post, with a gap of nearly ten months between the first and second.
| No. | Officer | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen Bipin Rawat | Appointed from 31 Dec 2019; took charge 1 Jan 2020; held office until 8 Dec 2021 | Chief of the Army Staff until 31 Dec 2019. Died on 8 Dec 2021 in the crash of an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. Awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2022 |
| Post vacant | 8 Dec 2021 to 30 Sep 2022 | The 2022 rule change fell in this period. Appointment of the second CDS was announced on 28 Sep 2022 | |
| 2 | Gen Anil Chauhan | 30 Sep 2022 to 30 May 2026 | Appointed as a retired Lieutenant General; commissioned into 11 Gorkha Rifles in 1981; NDA and IMA alumnus; GOC-in-C Eastern Command from September 2019 until he retired in May 2021. Service extended in September 2025 |
| 3 | Gen N S Raja Subramani | Since 31 May 2026 | Third CDS and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs. Before the appointment he was Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat; earlier an Army Vice Chief and GOC-in-C of Central Command |
For the sitting officers of every post, including the three Chiefs, our Who's Who page has the current names with the dates they took over.
Before 2019: the Chiefs of Staff Committee, HQ IDS and What Changed
The Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) existed long before the CDS. It brings together the three Chiefs on matters that cross Service lines. Until 2019 it was chaired by the senior-most of the three Chiefs (by length of service), who held the chair on top of his own job and gave it up when he retired. The Naresh Chandra Task Force wanted a permanent chairman instead. Since the CDS took over, the chair is permanent and is his.
HQ Integrated Defence Staff was designed for this arrangement. It is headed by the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), a three-star officer, at present Air Mshl Tejinder Singh. His full title is "Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee", so since 2019 he works for the CDS. The detail is on the HQ IDS page; our report on HQ IDS at 25 traces it back to Kargil.
The mandate also includes joint and theatre commands. The CDS's charter lists restructuring of commands for jointness among the DMA's tasks, and the only tri-service geographic command today is the Andaman and Nicobar Command (see our report on it). As of the date this page was last verified, the Government has not officially announced any theatre command. The proposals and their status are tracked on the theatre commands page, and each Service's present set of commands is on its own page: Army, Navy and Air Force. Joint training shows in courses such as the tri-services course on future warfare.
Exam pins
- Announced by the Prime Minister on 15 August 2019; approved on 24 December 2019 (Union Cabinet in PIB's release, CCS in its factsheet); first CDS took charge on 1 January 2020 (appointed from 31 December 2019).
- First CDS: Gen Bipin Rawat, formerly Chief of the Army Staff. Second: Gen Anil Chauhan (30 Sep 2022 to 30 May 2026). Third: see the table.
- Three roles: Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs; Permanent Chairman of the COSC; Principal Military Adviser to the Raksha Mantri on tri-service matters.
- The DMA is the fifth department of the Ministry of Defence and its head is a Secretary to the Government of India.
- No military command over anyone, including the three Service Chiefs.
- Member of the Defence Acquisition Council (chair: Raksha Mantri) and the Defence Planning Committee (chair: NSA); Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.
- Origin: Kargil Review Committee (1999, K. Subrahmanyam) then the Group of Ministers (2001); the Naresh Chandra Task Force (2012) proposed a permanent COSC chairman.
- Age: eligible serving or retired Lt Gen or General if under 62 on appointment (2022 rule); service may run to 65.
Asked in past papers
Questions come in two kinds: statements about the CDS himself, and "which body does what" questions on the committees around him. Both reward the exact wording of the 2019 release.
Consider the following statements about the position of the Chief of Defence Staff: 1. He is the Head of the Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence. 2. He is the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. 3. He does not exercise any military command over the three Service Chiefs.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d). All three are in the 2019 charter: he heads the DMA as its Secretary, chairs the COSC permanently, and has no command over the Chiefs. The tempting wrong answers drop statement 3 because "chairman" sounds like "commander".
Who functions as chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee?
(a) Defence Minister (b) The longest serving Chief among the Chiefs of the three services (c) The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (d) The Chief of the Army Staff
Answer in 2015: (b). That was the rotating arrangement. Today the answer is the CDS, who is not among these options, so the question could not be asked in this form now. Option (c) is the tempting one: the CISC works for the chairman and is not the chairman.
Which one among the following statements about the Department of Defence (DoD) is not correct? (a) It is headed by the Defence Secretary. (b) It deals with defence policy and planning. (c) It facilitates the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilization of resources. (d) It is responsible for defence cooperation with foreign countries.
Answer: (c). Restructuring of commands is a DMA task, which is why it is the odd one out. The other three describe the Department of Defence.
In the papers we have indexed, the CDS post itself appears directly in CDS 2026-I; earlier questions are about its neighbours, such as the COSC chair. The shared trap is who chairs what: CCS, PM; DAC, Raksha Mantri; DPC, NSA, with the CDS a member of the last two. Practise on the CDS and NDA past-paper pages.
Practice MCQs (with answers)
- The Government approved the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff on
- 15 August 2019
- 24 December 2019
- 31 December 2019
- 1 January 2020
- The idea of a permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, instead of a full CDS, came from the
- Kargil Review Committee
- Shekatkar Committee
- Naresh Chandra Task Force
- Group of Ministers of 2001
- Which of the following is not true of the Chief of Defence Staff?
- He exercises military command over the three Service Chiefs
- He is Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs
- He is Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
- He is Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority
- Under the June 2022 notification, a retired Lieutenant General may be appointed CDS only if, on the date of appointment, he has not reached the age of
- 60 years
- 61 years
- 62 years
- 65 years
- The service of a CDS may be extended up to a maximum age of
- 62 years
- 65 years
- 64 years
- 60 years
- The Department of Military Affairs is which department of the Ministry of Defence by order of creation?
- Second
- Third
- Fourth
- Fifth
1-b, 2-c, 3-a, 4-c, 5-b, 6-d. Q1: 15 August 2019 is the announcement and 1 January 2020 the day the first CDS took charge. Q2: the Kargil committee and the 2001 Group of Ministers led to the CDS idea itself; the 2012 task force proposed the smaller step. Q3: he has no command over the Chiefs. Q4 and Q5: 62 is the age by which he must be appointed and 65 the ceiling for staying on; (d) in Q4 is the trap. Q6: the other four are Defence, Defence Production, Defence R&D and Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
Where to Go Next
Jointness and theatre commands are favourite lecturette topics in the SSB, so know this page well enough to speak on it for three minutes. For the polity background, our study notes on the President and Union Executive and the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers cover the Cabinet and its committees. Day-to-day developments are in the daily defence notes. Graduates aiming for the Services' officer academies can prepare in the CDS and OTA batches, Class 12 students through the NDA course, and both can read how a defence career after graduation works.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the first Chief of Defence Staff of India?
General Bipin Rawat, who was Chief of the Army Staff before it, was appointed the first CDS with effect from 31 December 2019 and took charge on 1 January 2020. He died in a helicopter crash near Coonoor on 8 December 2021. Gen Anil Chauhan was the second, and a third officer took over on 31 May 2026.
Does the Chief of Defence Staff command the Army, Navy and Air Force?
No. The Government's release says the CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs, so that he can give impartial advice. Each Chief commands his own Service and advises the Raksha Mantri on it. The CDS advises on tri-service matters and heads the Department of Military Affairs.
What is the Department of Military Affairs?
It is the fifth department of the Ministry of Defence, created by an amendment to the Allocation of Business Rules notified on 30 December 2019, and headed by the CDS as its Secretary. It deals with the three Services, the integrated headquarters, the Territorial Army and procurement exclusive to the Services (capital acquisitions excepted), and promotes jointness and the restructuring of commands.
What is the age limit for the Chief of Defence Staff?
Under the June 2022 notification, a serving or retired Lieutenant General or General (or equivalent) can be appointed only if he has not reached 62 on the date of appointment. The Government may then extend his service as it thinks necessary, up to a maximum age of 65.
Which committee recommended the post of Chief of Defence Staff?
The Kargil Review Committee of 1999, chaired by K. Subrahmanyam, called for a review of the higher defence set-up. A Group of Ministers in 2001 then recommended creating the post. The post was approved in December 2019.
More in Tri-Services
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Sources: pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1597425 · pib.gov.in/FactsheetDetails.aspx?Id=148566 · pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2267339 · pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1598155®=48&lang=2
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