Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
The Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, was the position of hierarchy in the Indian Armed Forces, roughly based on the British Chiefs of Staff Committee. The senior-most Chief of Staff was appointed to serve as a Chairman until he retired.[2] The last Chairman was the Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat.[3] The position ceased to exists with the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff.
Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
---|---|
![]() Armed forces logo | |
Ministry of Defence | |
Abbreviation | Chairman, CoSC |
Member of | Chiefs of Staff Committee |
Reports to | Minister of Defence |
Term length | Until retirement |
Formation | 15 August 1947[1] |
First holder | General Rob Lockhart |
Final holder | General Bipin Rawat |
Abolished | 31 December 2019 |
Succession | Chief of Defence Staff |
History
The Chiefs of Staff Committee was established on 15 August 1947 upon Indian independence, and was conceived as the "supreme professional body" to advise the Minister of Defence and the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on all military-related matters. The Chairman of the Committee was the senior-most of the three Commanders-in-Chief (Chiefs of Staff from 1955) of the three armed forces. General Sir Robert Lockhart was the first chairman, with General K.M. Cariappa appointed the first Indian chairman on 14 October 1951.[1]
Following the end of the Kargil war, Kargil Review Committee found there was a lack of communication between the service branches, and therefore suggested to create the position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). This was however rejected by many members of the military, arguing that only great or imperial powers engaging in power projection needed that amount of integration.[4] A compromise was reached with the office of the CoSC.[5] The Chairman was responsible for inter-service synergy.[2] However, as the chairman, CoSC only served as Primus inter pares to the other Chiefs of Staff, he did not wield any power.[6] The Chairman was assisted by the Integrated Defence Staff.[7][8]
Talks concerning the creation of a Chief of Defence Staff position continued for over a decade,[6] along with a suggestion the position of chairman be made permanent, with a renewable two year term.[6] Both of these suggestions were rejected by the Indian Air Force.[6] In December 2018, however, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Sunil Lanba stated the heads of the three services had "finally agreed on a permanent chief of staff committee," and the matter had been sent to the Defence Ministry for consideration.[9]
On Independence Day 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the government's decision to replace the post of Chairman, COSC with a permanent Chief of Defence Staff, who would be senior to each service chief and who would deal with India’s national security with a comprehensive approach, acting as a single-point military adviser to the prime minister and defence minister.[10]
List of Chairmen
No. | Portrait | Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | General Sir Rob Lockhart KCB CIE MC (1893–1981) | 15 August 1947 | 31 December 1947 | 139 days | ![]() | [11][12] | |
2 | Sir Thomas Elmhirst KBE, CB, AFC, DL (1895–1982) | Air Marshal31 December 1947 | 15 January 1949 | 1 year, 15 days | ![]() | [12] | |
3 | Admiral Sir William Edward Parry KCB (1893–1970) | 26 January 1950 | 13 October 1951 | 1 year, 260 days | ![]() | [12] | |
4 | General K. M. Cariappa OBE (1899–1993) | 14 October 1951 | 14 January 1953 | 1 year, 92 days | ![]() | [13][1] | |
5 | Admiral Sir Charles Pizey KBE CB DSO* DL (1899–1993) | 14 January 1953 | 22 July 1955 | 2 years, 189 days | ![]() | . | |
6 | Subroto Mukerjee OBE (1911–1960) | Air Marshal22 July 1955 | 8 November 1960 | 5 years, 109 days | ![]() | [14] | |
7 | General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya DSO (1906–1965) | 9 November 1960 | 7 May 1961 | 179 days | ![]() | [15] | |
8 | Ram Dass Katari PVSM, AVSM (1911–1983) | Vice Admiral7 May 1961 | 4 June 1962 | 1 year, 28 days | ![]() | [16] | |
9 | Aspy Engineer DFC (1912–2002) | Air Marshal4 June 1962 | 24 July 1964 | 2 years, 50 days | ![]() | [17] | |
10 | Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman (1913–1995) | Vice Admiral24 July 1964 | 3 March 1966 | 1 year, 222 days | ![]() | [18] | |
11 | General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri OBE (1908–1983) | 3 March 1966 | 7 June 1966 | 96 days | ![]() | [19] | |
12 | Arjan Singh DFC (1919–2017) | Air Chief Marshal7 June 1966 | 15 July 1969 | 3 years, 38 days | ![]() | [20] | |
13 | Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji (1914–2001) | 15 July 1969 | 24 February 1970 | 224 days | ![]() | [12][21] | |
14 | Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw MC (1914–2008) | 24 February 1970 | 15 January 1973 | 2 years, 326 days | ![]() | [22] | |
15 | General Gopal Gurunath Bewoor PVSM (1916–1989) | 15 January 1973 | 1 January 1975 | 1 year, 351 days | ![]() | [23] | |
16 | Om Prakash Mehra PVSM (1919–2015) | Air Chief Marshal1 January 1975 | 31 January 1976 | 1 year, 30 days | ![]() | [24] | |
17 | Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli PVSM (1916–2007) | 31 January 1976 | 29 February 1976 | 2 years, 326 days | ![]() | [25] | |
18 | General Tapishwar Narain Raina MVC (1921–1980) | 29 February 1976 | 31 May 1978 | 2 years, 92 days | ![]() | [26] | |
19 | Hrushikesh Moolgavkar PVSM, MVC (1920–2015) | Air Chief Marshal31 May 1978 | 30 August 1978 | 91 days | ![]() | [27] | |
20 | Admiral Jal Cursetji PVSM (1919–1991) | 30 August 1978 | 1 March 1979 | 183 days | ![]() | . | |
21 | General Om Prakash Malhotra PVSM (1922–2015) | 1 March 1979 | 31 May 1981 | 2 years, 91 days | ![]() | [28] | |
22 | Idris Hasan Latif PVSM (1923–2018) | Air Chief Marshal31 May 1981 | 30 August 1981 | 91 days | ![]() | [29] | |
23 | Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira PVSM, AVSM (1923–1993) | 30 August 1981 | 26 February 1982 | 180 days | ![]() | [30][31] | |
24 | General K. V. Krishna Rao PVSM (1923–2016) | 1 March 1982 | 31 July 1983 | 1 year, 152 days | ![]() | [32] | |
25 | Dilbagh Singh PVSM, AVSM, VM (1926–2001) | Air Chief Marshal31 July 1983 | 3 September 1984 | 1 year, 34 days | ![]() | [33] | |
26 | Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson PVSM, AVSM (1923–2011) | 5 September 1984 | 30 November 1984 | 86 days | ![]() | [34] | |
27 | General Arun Shridhar Vaidya PVSM, MVC & Bar, AVSM (1926–1986) | 1 December 1984 | 31 January 1986 | 1 year, 61 days | ![]() | [35][36] | |
28 | Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani PVSM, AVSM (1930–2015) | 1 February 1986 | 30 November 1987 | 1 year, 302 days | ![]() | [37][38] | |
29 | Denis La Fontaine PVSM, AVSM, VSM (1929–2011) | Air Chief Marshal1 December 1987 | 31 July 1988 | 182 days | ![]() | [39] | |
30 | Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM (1931–2018) | 1 July 1988 | 30 November 1990 | 2 years, 152 days | ![]() | [40][41] | |
31 | Surinder Mehra PVSM, AVSM, VM (1932–2003) | Air Chief Marshal1 December 1990 | 31 July 1991 | 242 days | ![]() | [42][43] | |
32 | General Sunith Francis Rodrigues PVSM, VSM (born 1933) | 1 August 1991 | 30 June 1993 | 1 year, 333 days | ![]() | [44] | |
33 | Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (born 1933) | 1 July 1993 | 30 September 1993 | 91 days | ![]() | [45][46] | |
34 | General Bipin Chandra Joshi PVSM, AVSM (1935–1994) | 1 October 1993 | 19 November 1994 | 1 year, 49 days | ![]() | . | |
35 | S. K. Kaul PVSM, MVC (born 1935) | Air Chief Marshal20 November 1994 | 31 December 1995 | 1 year, 41 days | ![]() | [47] | |
36 | Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat PVSM, AVSM, VrC (born 1933) | 31 December 1995 | 30 September 1996 | 274 days | ![]() | [48] | |
37 | General Shankar Roychowdhury PVSM (born 1937) | 1 January 1996 | 30 September 1997 | 1 year, 272 days | ![]() | [49] | |
38 | Satish Sareen PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 1939) | Air Chief Marshal1 October 1997 | 31 December 1998 | 1 year, 91 days | ![]() | [50][51] | |
39 | General Ved Prakash Malik PVSM, AVSM (born 1939) | 1 January 1999 | 30 September 2000 | 1 year, 273 days | ![]() | [52][53] | |
40 | Admiral Sushil Kumar PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM | 1 October 2000 | 29 December 2001 | 1 year, 89 days | ![]() | [53] | |
41 | General Sundararajan Padmanabhan PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 1940) | 30 December 2001 | 31 December 2002 | 1 year, 1 day | ![]() | [54] | |
42 | Admiral Madhvendra Singh PVSM, AVSM | 31 December 2002 | 31 July 2004 | 1 year, 213 days | ![]() | [54] | |
43 | Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy PVSM, AVSM, VM & bar (born 1943) | Air Chief Marshal31 July 2004 | 29 December 2004 | 151 days | ![]() | [55] | |
44 | General Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (born 1943) | 30 December 2004 | 30 January 2005 | 31 days | ![]() | [55] | |
45 | Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (born 1944) | 31 January 2005 | 31 October 2006 | 1 year, 273 days | ![]() | [55] | |
46 | Shashindra Pal Tyagi PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 1945) | Air Chief Marshal31 October 2006 | 31 March 2007 | 151 days | ![]() | . | |
47 | General Joginder Jaswant Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 1945) | 31 March 2007 | 30 September 2007 | 183 days | ![]() | . | |
48 | Admiral Sureesh Mehta PVSM, AVSM (born 1947) | 30 September 2007 | 31 August 2009 | 1 year, 335 days | ![]() | . | |
49 | General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (born 1948) | 31 August 2009 | 31 March 2010 | 212 days | ![]() | . | |
50 | Pradeep Vasant Naik PVSM, VSM (born 1949) | Air Chief Marshal31 March 2010 | 30 July 2011 | 1 year, 121 days | ![]() | [56] | |
51 | Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma PVSM, AVSM (born 1949) | 30 July 2011 | 31 August 2012 | 1 year, 32 days | ![]() | [57] | |
52 | Norman Anil Kumar Browne PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 1951) | Air Chief Marshal31 August 2012 | 31 December 2013 | 1 year, 122 days | ![]() | . | |
53 | General Bikram Singh PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (born 1951) | 31 December 2013 | 31 July 2014 | 212 days | ![]() | [2] | |
54 | Arup Raha PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 1954) | Air Chief Marshal31 July 2014 | 31 December 2016 | 2 years, 153 days | ![]() | . | |
55 | Admiral Sunil Lanba PVSM, AVSM (born 1957) | 31 December 2016 | 31 May 2019 | 2 years, 151 days | ![]() | [58] | |
56 | Birender Singh Dhanoa PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM (born 1957) | Air Chief Marshal31 May 2019 | 27 September 2019 | 119 days | ![]() | [59] | |
57 | General Bipin Rawat PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM (born 1958) | 27 September 2019 | 31 December 2019 | 95 days | ![]() | [60] |
Gallery
- Adm Sureesh Mehta handing over the Baton of Chairman COSC to Gen Deepak Kapoor
- Gen Deepak Kapoor handing over the Baton of Chairman COSC to ACM P V Naik
- ACM P V Naik handing over the Baton of Chairman COSC to Adm Nirmal Verma
- ACM NAK Browne handing over the Baton of Chairman COSC to Gen Bikram Singh
- ACM Arup Raha handing over the Baton of Chairman COSC to Adm Sunil Lanba
- ACM Birender Singh Dhanoa handing over the baton of Chairman COSC to Gen Bipin Rawat
See also
References
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