NSA-led committee to finalise modalities for CDS

A high-level committee helmed by NSA Ajit Doval will finalise the modalities for appointing a chief of defence staff (CDS) in the next three weeks, paving the way for a single-point military adviser to the government by the end of December, official sources said on Wednesday.

Though Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat remains a front-runner for the post, the government has asked the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to recommend the names of their most senior commanders for the new position, they said.

In a landmark military reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 announced that India will have the CDS as head of the tri-services, a proposal pending since the Kargil conflict in 1999.