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
Longest serving
Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee
22 July 1955 - 8 November 1960
Ministry of Defence
AbbreviationChairman, CoSC
Member ofChiefs of Staff Committee
Reports toMinister of Defence
Term lengthUntil retirement
Formation15 August 1947[1]
First holderGeneral Rob Lockhart
Final holderGeneral Bipin Rawat
Abolished31 December 2019
SuccessionChief 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 CommitteeTook officeLeft officeTime in officeDefence branchRef
1
Lockhart, RobGeneral
Sir Rob Lockhart
KCB CIE MC
(1893–1981)		15 August 194731 December 1947139 days Indian Army[11][12]
2
Elmhirst, ThomasAir Marshal
Sir Thomas Elmhirst
KBE, CB, AFC, DL
(1895–1982)		31 December 194715 January 19491 year, 15 days Indian Air Force[12]
3
Parry, EdwardAdmiral
Sir William Edward Parry
KCB
(1893–1970)		26 January 195013 October 19511 year, 260 days Indian Navy[12]
4
Cariappa, K MGeneral
K. M. Cariappa
OBE
(1899–1993)		14 October 195114 January 19531 year, 92 days Indian Army[13][1]
5
Pizey, CharlesAdmiral
Sir Charles Pizey
KBE CB DSO* DL
(1899–1993)		14 January 195322 July 19552 years, 189 days Indian Navy.
6
Mukerjee, SubrotoAir Marshal
Subroto Mukerjee
OBE
(1911–1960)		22 July 19558 November 19605 years, 109 days Indian Air Force[14]
7
Thimayya, K SGeneral
Kodandera Subayya Thimayya
DSO
(1906–1965)		9 November 19607 May 1961179 days Indian Army[15]
8
Katari, Ram DassVice Admiral
Ram Dass Katari
PVSM, AVSM
(1911–1983)		7 May 19614 June 19621 year, 28 days Indian Navy[16]
9
Engineer, AspyAir Marshal
Aspy Engineer
DFC
(1912–2002)		4 June 196224 July 19642 years, 50 days Indian Air Force[17]
10
Soman, Bhaskar SadashivVice Admiral
Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman
(1913–1995)		24 July 19643 March 19661 year, 222 days Indian Navy[18]
11
Chaudhuri, Jayanto NathGeneral
Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
OBE
(1908–1983)		3 March 19667 June 196696 days Indian Army[19]
12
Singh, ArjanAir Chief Marshal
Arjan Singh
DFC
(1919–2017)		7 June 196615 July 19693 years, 38 days Indian Air Force[20]
13
Chatterji, Adhar KumarAdmiral
Adhar Kumar Chatterji
(1914–2001)		15 July 196924 February 1970224 days Indian Navy[12][21]
14
Manekshaw, SamField Marshal
Sam Manekshaw
MC
(1914–2008)		24 February 197015 January 19732 years, 326 days Indian Army[22]
15
Bewoor, GopalGeneral
Gopal Gurunath Bewoor
PVSM
(1916–1989)		15 January 19731 January 19751 year, 351 days Indian Army[23]
16
Mehra, Om PrakashAir Chief Marshal
Om Prakash Mehra
PVSM
(1919–2015)		1 January 197531 January 19761 year, 30 days Indian Air Force[24]
17
Kohli, Sourendra NathAdmiral
Sourendra Nath Kohli
PVSM
(1916–2007)		31 January 197629 February 19762 years, 326 days Indian Navy[25]
18
Raina, TapishwarGeneral
Tapishwar Narain Raina
MVC
(1921–1980)		29 February 197631 May 19782 years, 92 days Indian Army[26]
19
Moolgavkar, HrushikeshAir Chief Marshal
Hrushikesh Moolgavkar
PVSM, MVC
(1920–2015)		31 May 197830 August 197891 days Indian Air Force[27]
20
Cursetji, JalAdmiral
Jal Cursetji
PVSM
(1919–1991)		30 August 19781 March 1979183 days Indian Navy.
21
Malhotra, Om PrakashGeneral
Om Prakash Malhotra
PVSM
(1922–2015)		1 March 197931 May 19812 years, 91 days Indian Army[28]
22
Latif, IdrisAir Chief Marshal
Idris Hasan Latif
PVSM
(1923–2018)		31 May 198130 August 198191 days Indian Air Force[29]
23
Pereira, RonaldAdmiral
Ronald Lynsdale Pereira
PVSM, AVSM
(1923–1993)		30 August 198126 February 1982180 days Indian Navy[30][31]
24
Rao, KrishnaGeneral
K. V. Krishna Rao
PVSM
(1923–2016)		1 March 198231 July 19831 year, 152 days Indian Army[32]
25
Singh, DilbaghAir Chief Marshal
Dilbagh Singh
PVSM, AVSM, VM
(1926–2001)		31 July 19833 September 19841 year, 34 days Indian Air Force[33]
26
Dawson, OscarAdmiral
Oscar Stanley Dawson
PVSM, AVSM
(1923–2011)		5 September 198430 November 198486 days Indian Navy[34]
27
Vaidya, ArunGeneral
Arun Shridhar Vaidya
PVSM, MVC & Bar, AVSM
(1926–1986)		1 December 198431 January 19861 year, 61 days Indian Army[35][36]
28
Tahiliani, RadhakrishnaAdmiral
Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani
PVSM, AVSM
(1930–2015)		1 February 198630 November 19871 year, 302 days Indian Navy[37][38]
29
La Fontaine, DenisAir Chief Marshal
Denis La Fontaine
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
(1929–2011)		1 December 198731 July 1988182 days Indian Air Force[39]
30
Nadkarni, JayantAdmiral
Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni
PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM
(1931–2018)		1 July 198830 November 19902 years, 152 days Indian Navy[40][41]
31
Mehra, SurinderAir Chief Marshal
Surinder Mehra
PVSM, AVSM, VM
(1932–2003)		1 December 199031 July 1991242 days Indian Air Force[42][43]
32
Rodrigues, SunithGeneral
Sunith Francis Rodrigues
PVSM, VSM
(born 1933)		1 August 199130 June 19931 year, 333 days Indian Army[44]
33
Ramdas, LaxminarayanAdmiral
Laxminarayan Ramdas
PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM
(born 1933)		1 July 199330 September 199391 days Indian Navy[45][46]
34
Joshi, BipinGeneral
Bipin Chandra Joshi
PVSM, AVSM
(1935–1994)		1 October 199319 November 19941 year, 49 days Indian Army.
35
Kaul, SwaroopAir Chief Marshal
S. K. Kaul
PVSM, MVC
(born 1935)		20 November 199431 December 19951 year, 41 days Indian Air Force[47]
36
Shekhawat, Vijai SinghAdmiral
Vijai Singh Shekhawat
PVSM, AVSM, VrC
(born 1933)		31 December 199530 September 1996274 days Indian Navy[48]
37
Roychowdhury, ShankarGeneral
Shankar Roychowdhury
PVSM
(born 1937)		1 January 199630 September 19971 year, 272 days Indian Army[49]
38
Sareen, SatishAir Chief Marshal
Satish Sareen
PVSM, AVSM, VM
(born 1939)		1 October 199731 December 19981 year, 91 days Indian Air Force[50][51]
39
Malik, VedGeneral
Ved Prakash Malik
PVSM, AVSM
(born 1939)		1 January 199930 September 20001 year, 273 days Indian Army[52][53]
40
Kumar, SushilAdmiral
Sushil Kumar
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM		1 October 200029 December 20011 year, 89 days Indian Navy[53]
41
Padmanabhan, SundararajanGeneral
Sundararajan Padmanabhan
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
(born 1940)		30 December 200131 December 20021 year, 1 day Indian Army[54]
42
Singh, MadhvendraAdmiral
Madhvendra Singh
PVSM, AVSM		31 December 200231 July 20041 year, 213 days Indian Navy[54]
43
Krishnaswamy, SrinivasapuramAir Chief Marshal
Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy
PVSM, AVSM, VM & bar
(born 1943)		31 July 200429 December 2004151 days Indian Air Force[55]
44
Vij, Nirmal ChanderGeneral
Nirmal Chander Vij
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM
(born 1943)		30 December 200430 January 200531 days Indian Army[55]
45
Prakash, ArunAdmiral
Arun Prakash
PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM
(born 1944)		31 January 200531 October 20061 year, 273 days Indian Navy[55]
46
Tyagi, Shashindra PalAir Chief Marshal
Shashindra Pal Tyagi
PVSM, AVSM, VM
(born 1945)		31 October 200631 March 2007151 days Indian Air Force.
47
Singh, Joginder JaswantGeneral
Joginder Jaswant Singh
PVSM, AVSM, VSM
(born 1945)		31 March 200730 September 2007183 days Indian Army.
48
Mehta, SureeshAdmiral
Sureesh Mehta
PVSM, AVSM
(born 1947)		30 September 200731 August 20091 year, 335 days Indian Navy.
49
Kapoor, DeepakGeneral
Deepak Kapoor
PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM
(born 1948)		31 August 200931 March 2010212 days Indian Army.
50
Naik, PradeepAir Chief Marshal
Pradeep Vasant Naik
PVSM, VSM
(born 1949)		31 March 201030 July 20111 year, 121 days Indian Air Force[56]
51
Naik, PradeepAdmiral
Nirmal Kumar Verma
PVSM, AVSM
(born 1949)		30 July 201131 August 20121 year, 32 days Indian Navy[57]
52
Browne, NormanAir Chief Marshal
Norman Anil Kumar Browne
PVSM, AVSM, VM
(born 1951)		31 August 201231 December 20131 year, 122 days Indian Air Force.
53
Singh, BikramGeneral
Bikram Singh
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM
(born 1951)		31 December 201331 July 2014212 days Indian Army[2]
54
Raha, ArupAir Chief Marshal
Arup Raha
PVSM, AVSM, VM
(born 1954)		31 July 201431 December 20162 years, 153 days Indian Air Force.
55
Raha, ArupAdmiral
Sunil Lanba
PVSM, AVSM
(born 1957)		31 December 201631 May 20192 years, 151 days Indian Navy[58]
56
Dhanoa, Birender SinghAir Chief Marshal
Birender Singh Dhanoa
PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM
(born 1957)		31 May 201927 September 2019119 days Indian Air Force[59]
57
Rawat, BipinGeneral
Bipin Rawat
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM
(born 1958)		27 September 201931 December 201995 days Indian Army[60]
  • 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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  2. TNN (31 December 2013). "Bikram Singh takes over chairman of chiefs of staff from Browne". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  3. "Gen. Rawat takes over as Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  4. Bratton, Dr. Patrick Keo Clifton. "Defense Reforms in a Rising India: An Organizational and Normative Shift towards Power Projection?" (PDF). Hawai‘i Pacific University. p. 20. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  5. Bratton, Dr. Patrick Keo Clifton. "Defense Reforms in a Rising India: An Organizational and Normative Shift towards Power Projection?" (PDF). Hawai‘i Pacific University. p. 21. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  6. Kanwal, Gurmeet (27 September 2018). "Where is India's Chief of Defence Staff?". The Economic Times. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  7. Integrated Defence Staff. History of Integrated Defence Staff. National Informatics Center.
  8. "Chairman COSC". Integrated Defence Staff.
  9. Peri, Dinakar (3 December 2018). "Sea trials of IAC Vikrant likely to begin in 2020: Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  10. The Hindu. 15 August 2019 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/veterans-defence-experts-laud-move-to-create-post-of-cds/article29100427.ece. Retrieved 15 August 2019. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. "MEHIRA RELINQUISHES CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP" (PDF).
  12. "Admiral Chatterji Takes Over" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 17 July 1969. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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  14. "MOST DISTINGUISHED AIR FORCE OFFICER" (PDF).
  15. "GENERAL MANEKSHAW TAKES OVER" (PDF).
  16. Katari, Ram Dass. A sailor remembers. Vikas. p. 105. ISBN 978-0706920642.
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  18. "Air Chief Hands over Chairmanship to Naval Chief" (PDF).
  19. "GENERAL MANEKSHAW TAKES OVER" (PDF).
  20. "CIFS OF STAFF FAREWELL TO AIR CHIEF" (PDF).
  21. "GENERAL MANEKSHAW TAKES OVER" (PDF).
  22. "GENERAL MANEKSHAW TAKES OVER" (PDF).
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  31. "NAVY BIDS FAREWELL TO ITS MOST DISTINGUISHED SAILOR" (PDF).
  32. "Former Army Chief General KV Krishna Rao Dies At 92". NDTV.com.
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  36. "TOPNO BEST SERVICES SPORTSMAN" (PDF).
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  38. (PDF) http://www.navyfoundationmumbaicharter.in/doc/Quarterdeck2013.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. "CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE BIDS FAREWELL TO GEN SUNDARJI" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in.
  40. Nuclear policy and national security (1st ed.). Mittal Publications. 1993. p. 262. ISBN 9788170995210.
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  54. TNN (24 December 2002). "Navy chief to head COSC". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
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  56. Dutta, Sujan (30 November 2011). "Generation shift in air force". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
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