Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane took over as chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on Wednesday as a stopgap measure following the untimely death of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
Prior to the introduction of the CDS rank two years ago, the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which includes all three service chiefs, was the highest-ranking position. General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, was killed in an Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor district on December 8, along with his wife and 11 armed forces members.
According to those acquainted with the issue, Gen Naravane has been appointed as the committee’s head since he is the senior-most of the three service chiefs. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar assumed their respective positions on September 30 and November 30, respectively.
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On Tuesday, the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) gathered to pay their respects to Gen. Rawat and the other victims of the Coonoor chopper tragedy. The lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh also succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday at a military hospital in Bengaluru.
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