As the nation mourns the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in a military helicopter crash, the question of who will fill Rawat’s big boots is on everyone’s minds.
Top sources had told News18 that the post will be filled in the next seven to ten days and the frontrunners for the same are Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane and former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd).
As per the rules, any Commanding officers or flag officers of the armed forces are eligible for the position. General Rawat had taken over the charge as the first CDS of the country in January 2020. Normally, the upper age limit for the CDS has been fixed at 65 years. PM Modi, in his Independence Day address in 2019, had announced the appointment of a CDS who will be above the three Chiefs.
General Naravane is senior to his counterparts in the navy and air force. Naravane, who took over as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff on 31 December, 2019, previously served as Vice Chief of the Army and prior to that headed the Eastern Command of the Army which takes care of India’s nearly 4,000-km border with China.
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