Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has been named India's first Chief of Defence Staff. General Rawat was named the Chief of Defence Staff just a day before he was to retire from service after completeing a full three-year term as the Chief of Army Staff.

General Rawat is the first officer to hold the post of the Chief of Defence Staff, which was set up just days ago. The CDS will function as a single-point adivsor to the government on matters related to the military and will focus on better synergy between the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

General Bipin Rawat was the front-runner for the post. General Rawat will demit the office of the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday. Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane, currently the Vice Chief of Army Staff, will take over as Army chief.

An alumnus of the St. Edward School, Shimla, the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, General Bipin Rawat is from the Gorkha regiment. According to his profile on the Indian Army's website, General Rawat has commanded an infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector, an infantry division in the Kashmir Valley and a corps in the Northeast.

General Rawat was appointed the Chief of Army Staff on December 31, 2016 and was to retire tomorrow. However, he will continue his service now as the Chief of Defence Staff.

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF

The announcement of the name of India's Chief of Defence Staff was made months after PM Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, promised that his government would establish the top military post.

PM Modi's Independence Day assurance fulfilled a long-pending recommendation that a single-point military advisor be appointment to advise the government on all matters related to the military. The recommendation was first made by a committee that examined the military's performance during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

On December 24, the government formally established the post of Chief of Defence Staff. The government released the charter and duties of the CDS and said that the post would be occupied by a four-star officer from the Indian Army, Indian Navy or the Indian Air Force.

Days later, the government amended the rules of the Army, Navy and the Air Force to allow a Chief of Defence Staff to serve until the age of 65. Currently, the three service chiefs retire after either completing three years in office or once they reach the age of 62, whichever is earlier

The CDS will be the "first among equals" with respect to the three service chiefs, all four-star officers themselves who will retain the operational command of their respective forces.

The government said that the CDS will head the newly established Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence. Among the areas the CDS will focus on will be promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing and facilitation the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources.

It is widely expected that the Chief of Defence Staff will be able to better synergise the operations of the three armed forces -- the Army, Navy and the Air Force -- and reduce wasteful expenditure by better coordinating the procurement plans of the three services.