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| military_data1 = IC-35471M<ref name="pvsm-pib">{{cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=187777|title=411 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced|date=2019-01-25}}</ref>
| military_data1 = IC-35471M<ref name="pvsm-pib">{{cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=187777|title=411 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced|date=2019-01-25}}</ref>
| unit = [[11 Gorkha Rifles|5/11 Gorkha Rifles]]
| unit = [[11 Gorkha Rifles|5/11 Gorkha Rifles]]
| commands = [[File:IA Southern Command.jpg|20px]] [[Southern Command (India)|Southern Command]]<br>[[III Corps (India)|III Corps]]<br>[[19th Infantry Division (India)|19th Infantry Division]]<br>[[MONUSCO|MONUSCO North Kivu Brigade]]<br>[[Rashtriya Rifles|Rashtriya Rifles, Sector 5]]<br>[[11 Gorkha Rifles|5/11 Gorkha Rifles]]
| commands = [[File:IA Southern Command.svg|20px]] [[Southern Command (India)|Southern Command]]<br>[[III Corps (India)|III Corps]]<br>[[19th Infantry Division (India)|19th Infantry Division]]<br>[[MONUSCO|MONUSCO North Kivu Brigade]]<br>[[Rashtriya Rifles|Rashtriya Rifles, Sector 5]]<br>[[11 Gorkha Rifles|5/11 Gorkha Rifles]]
| battles =
| battles =
| battles_label =
| battles_label =

Revision as of 18:01, 2 September 2021

General
Bipin Rawat
PVSM UYSM AVSM YSM SM VSM ADC
Gen. Bipin Rawat after taking charge as CDS
1st Chief of Defence Staff
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 January 2020 (2020-01-01)
PresidentRam Nath Kovind
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byOffice established
57th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
In office
27 September 2019 (2019-09-27) – 31 December 2019 (2019-12-31)
PresidentRam Nath Kovind
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byBirender Singh Dhanoa
Succeeded byOffice abolished
26th Chief of the Army Staff
In office
31 December 2016 (2016-12-31) – 31 December 2019 (2019-12-31)
PresidentPranab Mukherjee
Ram Nath Kovind
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byDalbir Singh Suhag
Succeeded byManoj Mukund Naravane[1]
37th Vice Chief of the Army Staff
In office
1 September 2016 (2016-09-01) – 31 December 2016 (2016-12-31)
PresidentPranab Mukherjee
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byMan Mohan Singh Rai
Succeeded bySarath Chand
Personal details
Born (1958-03-16) 16 March 1958 (age 66)
Pauri, Uttarakhand, India
RelationsLieutenant General Laxman Singh Rawat (Father)
Alma materNational Defence Academy (BSc)
Indian Military Academy
Defence Services Staff College (MPhil)
U.S. Army Command & General Staff College (ILE)
Chaudhary Charan Singh University (PhD)
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service16 December 1978 – present
Rank General
Unit5/11 Gorkha Rifles
Commands Southern Command
III Corps
19th Infantry Division
MONUSCO North Kivu Brigade
Rashtriya Rifles, Sector 5
5/11 Gorkha Rifles
Service numberIC-35471M[2]
Awards

General Bipin Rawat, PVSM UYSM AVSM YSM SM VSM ADC (born 16 March 1958)[3] is a four star general of the Indian Army. He is the first and current Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India. On 30 December 2019, he was appointed as the first CDS of India and assumed office from 1 January 2020.[4][5][6][7] Prior to taking over as the CDS, he served as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee as well as 26th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.[8]

Early life and education

Rawat was born in Pauri, Uttarakhand in a Hindu Garhwali Rajput family.[9] The family had been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations. His father Laxman Singh Rawat was from Sainj village of the Pauri Garhwal district and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.[10][11][12] His mother was from the Uttarkashi district and was the daughter of Kishan Singh Parmar, the ex-Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttarkashi.[13]

Rawat attended Cambrian Hall School in Dehradun and the St. Edward's School, Shimla[14] He then joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the 'Sword of Honour'.

Rawat is also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[15][16][17] From his tenure at the DSSC, he has a MPhil degree in Defence Studies as well as diplomas in Management and Computer Studies from University of Madras. In 2011, he was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy by Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut for his research on military-media strategic studies.[18][19]

Military career

Rawat was commissioned into the 5th battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles on 16 December 1978, the same unit as his father.[20][21] He has much experience in high-altitude warfare and spent ten years conducting counter-insurgency operations.[17]

He commanded a company in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir as a Major. As a Colonel, he commanded his battalion, the 5th battalion 11 Gorkha Rifles, in the Eastern sector along the Line of Actual Control at Kibithu. Promoted to the rank of Brigadier, he commanded 5 Sector of Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore. He then commanded a multinational Brigade in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) where he was twice awarded the Force Commander’s Commendation.

After promotion to Major General, Rawat took over as the General Officer Commanding 19th Infantry Division (Uri). As a Lieutenant General, he commanded III Corps, headquartered in Dimapur before taking over the Southern Army in Pune.

He also held staff assignments which included an instructional tenure at the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun), General Staff Officer Grade 2 at the Military Operations Directorate, logistics staff officer of a Re-organised Army Plains Infantry Division (RAPID) in central India, Colonel Military Secretary and Deputy Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch and Senior Instructor in the Junior Command Wing. He also served as the Major General General Staff (MGGS) of the Eastern Command.

After being promoted to the Army Commander grade, Rawat assumed the post of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Southern Command on 1 January 2016. After a short stint, he assumed the post of Vice Chief of Army Staff on 1 September 2016.

On 17 December 2016, the Government of India appointed him as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff, superseding two more senior Lieutenant Generals, Praveen Bakshi and P. M. Hariz.[22] He took office of Chief of Army Staff as the 27th COAS on 31 December 2016, after retirement of General Dalbir Singh Suhag.[23][24]

He is the third officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the Chief of the Army Staff, after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and General Dalbir Singh Suhag. On his visit to the United States in 2019, General Rawat was inducted to the United States Army Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame.[25] He is also the honorary General of Nepalese Army. It has been a tradition between the Indian and Nepali armies to confer the honorary rank of General to each other's chiefs to signify their close and special military ties.[26]

1987 Sino-Indian skirmish

During the 1987 face off in the Sumdorong Chu valley, Rawat's battalion was deployed against the Chinese People's Liberation Army.[27] The standoff was the first military confrontation along the disputed McMahon Line after the 1962 war.

UN Mission in Congo

While commanding MONUSCO (a Multinational Brigade in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Rawat had a truly outstanding tour. Within two weeks of deployment in the DRC, the Brigade faced a major offensive in the east which threatened not only the regional capital of North Kivu, Goma, but stability across the country as a whole. The situation demanded a rapid response and North Kivu Brigade was reinforced, where it was responsible for over 7,000 men and women, representing nearly half of the total MONUSCO force. Whilst simultaneously engaged in offensive kinetic operations against the CNDP and other armed groups, Rawat (then Brigadier) carried out tactical support to the Congolese Army (FARDC), sensitization programmes with the local population and detailed coordination to ensure that all were informed about the situation and worked together in prosecuting operations whilst trying to protect the vulnerable population. This hectic period of operational tempo lasted a full four months and during this time Rawat, his headquarters and his international Brigade, were tested to the full, across the operational spectrum. His personal leadership, courage and experience were pivotal to the success that the Brigade achieved. Goma never fell, the East stabilized and the main armed group was motivated to the negotiating table and has since been integrated into the FARDC. He was also tasked to present the Revised Charter of Peace Enforcement to the Special Representatives of the Secretary General and Force Commanders of all the UN missions in a special conference at Wilton Park, London on 16 May 2009.[15][16][28]

General Dalbir Singh Suhag handing over the baton to Gen Bipin Rawat at the Army HQ

2015 Myanmar strikes

In June 2015, eighteen Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants belonging to the United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) in Manipur. The Indian Army responded with cross-border strikes in which units of the 21st battalion of the Parachute Regiment struck an NSCN-K base in Myanmar. 21 Para was under the operational control of the Dimapur based III Corps, which was then commanded by Rawat.[17][29]

Bilateral visits as Chief of the Army Staff

Country Date Purpose References
2017
   Nepal 28 - 31 March
  • Bilateral discussions with President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
  • Visited a high-altitude military warfare training centre at Pokhara and Muktinath.
 [30][31]
 Bangladesh 31 March - 2 April
  • Bilateral discussions with President, Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff.
  • Visited headquarters of an infantry division and armoured corps at Bogra.
 [31][32]
 Bhutan 27 - 30 April
  • Audience with King of Bhutan.
  • Goodwill visit.
 [33]
 Myanmar 28 - 31 May [34]
 Kazakhstan 1 - 3 August
  • Bilateral discussions with Defence Minister, Chairman of the National Security Committee, Vice Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief of Land Forces of Kazakhstan.
  • Visited elite Air Assault Brigade and National Defence University in Astana
 [35]
 Turkmenistan 4 - 5 August
  • Bilateral discussions with Minister of Defence & Secretary, National Security Council, First Deputy Minister & Chief of General Staff, Commanders of Land, Naval, Air & Air Defence Forces
  • Visited the Military Institute & Military Academy
 [35]
2018
   Nepal 12 - 14 February
  • Bilateral meetings with President and Prime Minister
  • Chief guest at Army day of the Nepalese Army
 [36][37][38]
 Sri Lanka 14 - 17 May [39][40]
 Russia 1 - 6 October
  • Bilateral meetings with senior military officers
  • Visited the Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy, Western Military District HQ (St Petersburg) and HQ and General Staff Academy at Moscow
 [41]
 Vietnam 22 - 25 November
  • Bilateral meetings with Defence Minister, Deputy Chief of the General Staff and other senior military personnel
  • Visited the HQ of an infantry division near Hanoi and 7 Military Region HQ at Ho Chi Minh City
 [42]
 Tanzania
 Kenya 		17 - 20 December
  • Met senior civil and military leaders of the two countries
 [43]
2019
 United States 2 - 5 April [44]
Maldives 		30 Sept - 3 Oct 2019
  • Interacted with the hierarchy of the Maldivian government and armed forces.
  • visit aimed at strengthening close bilateral defense ties between the two nations.
  • Army Chief meet Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Hon'ble President of Maldives, Ms Mariya Ahmed Didi, minister of defense, Mr Abdullah Shahid, foreign minister and Major General Abdulla Shamaal, chief of National Defense Forces.
  • Military vehicles and military equipment exchanged
 [45]

Honours and decorations

During his career span of over 40 years, he has been awarded for gallantry and distinguished service with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and the COAS Commendation on two occasions and the Army Commander’s Commendation.[15][46][47][48][49][50][51]

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Yudh Seva Medal Sena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal
Wound Medal Samanya Seva Medal Special Service Medal Operation Parakram Medal
Sainya Seva Medal High Altitude Service Medal Videsh Seva Medal 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal MONUSCO

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
Second Lieutenant Indian Army 16 December 1978[52]
Lieutenant Indian Army 16 December 1980[53]
Captain Indian Army 31 July 1984[54]
Major Indian Army 16 December 1989[55]
Lieutenant Colonel Indian Army 1 June 1998[56]
Colonel Indian Army 1 August 2003[57]
Brigadier Indian Army 1 October 2007 (seniority from 17 May 2007)[58]
Major General Indian Army 20 October 2011 (substantive, seniority from 11 May 2010)[59]
Lieutenant General Indian Army 1 June 2014 (substantive)[60]
General
(COAS)		 Indian Army 1 January 2017[61]
General
(CDS)		 Indian Armed Forces
(tri-service)		 31 December 2019[62]

References

  1. ^ "Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane to be next Army Chief". LiveMint. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  2. ^ "411 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced". 25 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat set to be India's first CDS".
  4. ^ "General Bipin Rawat Appointed as Chief of Defence Staff". 30 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Army chief General Bipin Rawat named India's first Chief of Defence Staff". India Today. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Govt amends Army rules to allow chief of defence staff to serve till 65". The Times Of India.
  7. ^ "Who is Bipin Rawat: A brief look at General Bipin Rawat, India's first CDS". m-economictimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Gen. Rawat takes over as Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Top positions in country's security establishments helmed by men from Uttarakhand - Times of India". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Gen Bipin Rawat known for operational skills and strategic expertise". Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Top positions in country's security establishments helmed by men from Uttarakhand - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Bipin Rawat to have full three years tenure". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  13. ^ India, Press Trust of (20 September 2019). "Army Chief visits mother's ancestral village". Business Standard India.
  14. ^ "Rawat visits alma mater".
  15. ^ a b c "Lt Gen Bipin Rawat takes over as new Army Commander". The Indian Express. 2 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  16. ^ a b Goma, By David Blair in. "UN commander says hands are tied in Congo". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  17. ^ a b c "Lt General Bipin Rawat: Master of surgical strikes - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Chief-designate for peace on border: 'Some disputes not for Army to settle'". The Indian Express. 19 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  19. ^ "GENERAL BIPIN RAWAT takes over as the 27th COAS of the INDIAN ARMY". pib.nic.in. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  20. ^ "Lt Gen Bipin Rawat takes over as new Army Commander". 2 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  21. ^ Peri, Dinakar (17 December 2016). "In surprise move, Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat appointed next Army Chief". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  22. ^ Jatinder, Kaur. "India Army Gets China Border Experienced General". No. online. ABC Live. ABC Live. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  23. ^ Gautam Sharma (1988). The path of glory: exploits of the 11 Gorkha Rifles. Allied Publishers.
  24. ^ "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  25. ^ "General Rawat inducted into his alma mater's International Hall of Fame in US". Business Standard. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  26. ^ "General Bipin Rawat made honorary General of Nepal Army". India Today. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  27. ^ "Why General Rawat made the cut which General Bakshi failed to". Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  28. ^ "How Lt Gen Rawat changed the face of UN peacekeeping in conflict-hit Congo". hindustantimes.com. 18 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  29. ^ Datta, Saikat. "Rawat's appointment as Army chief is in line with Modi's aggressive foreign policy". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  30. ^ "Indian Army Chief Gen Rawat to visit Nepal". hindustantimes.com/. 19 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  31. ^ a b "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  32. ^ "Indian army chief arrives in Dhaka | Dhaka Tribune". Dhaka Tribune. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  33. ^ "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  35. ^ a b "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  36. ^ "Indian Army chief on three-day visit to Nepal from tomorrow". The Economic Times. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  37. ^ "Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat in Nepal for Nepali Army Day". aninews.in. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  38. ^ "Indian Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat in Nepal, to meet Prez, PM". hindustantimes.com/. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  39. ^ "Chief of Staff of the Indian Army General Rawat to visit Sri Lanka | The Sunday Leader". thesundayleader.lk. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  40. ^ "Visit of Coas to Sri Lanka". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  41. ^ "Visit of COAS to Russia". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  42. ^ "Visit of COAS to Vietnam". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  43. ^ "Visit of COAS to Tanzania and Kenya".
  44. ^ "Visit of Chief of the Army Staff to USA". pib.nic.in.
  45. ^ "Visit of General Bipin Rawat, Coas to Maldives". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  46. ^ "Superseding two senior Lt Gens, Bipin Rawat is new Army Chief; Dhanoa to head Air Force". The Indian Express. 18 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  47. ^ "Lt Gen Bipin Rawat appointed new Army chief, Air Marshal BS Dhanoa as new Air Force chief". Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  48. ^ "Eight things you need to know about new army chief Bipin Rawat". Hindustantimes. 17 December 2016. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  49. ^ "New Army Chief Has What the Govt Wants: Nuts-and-Bolts Experience". The Quint. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  50. ^ "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  51. ^ "Lt Gen Mathews takes over as GoC of India's only desert corps". The Indian Express. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  52. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 February 1981. p. 212.
  53. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 1 August 1981. p. 995.
  54. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 23 March 1985. p. 375.
  55. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 3 November 1990. p. 1746.
  56. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 18 May 2002. p. 811.
  57. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 June 2005. p. 974.
  58. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 February 2009. p. 254.
  59. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 19 January 2013. p. 95.
  60. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 20 December 2014. p. 2366.
  61. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 March 2017. p. 223.
  62. ^ "General Bipin Rawat Appointed as Chief of Defence Staff". Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
Military offices
Preceded by
office established
 Chief of Defence Staff
1 January 2020 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
27 September 2019–31 December 2019 		Succeeded by
office abolished
Preceded by Chief of the Army Staff
31 December 2016 – 31 December 2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice Chief of the Army Staff
1 September 2016 – 31 December 2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command
1 January 2016 – 31 July 2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by General Officer Commanding III Corps
1 September 2014 – 23 November 2015 		Succeeded by
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