Chief of the Army Staff (India)

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Chief of the Army Staff
Incumbent
(India)
since 30 April 2022
 Indian Army
StatusProfessional head of land forces branch of the Indian Armed Forces.
AbbreviationCOAS
Member ofDefence Acquisition Council
Defence Planning Committee
National Security Council
Reports to President of India
Prime Minister of India
Minister of Defence
Chief of Defence Staff
SeatIntegrated HQ of MoD (Army), South Block, Central Secretariat, New Delhi
AppointerAppointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
President of India
Term length3 years or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
Constituting instrumentArmy Act, 1950 (Act No. 46 of 1950)
PrecursorChief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army
Formation21 June 1948; 75 years ago (1948-06-21)
First holderGeneral Rob Lockhart
Deputy Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS)
Salary250,000 (US$3,100) monthly[1][2]

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Army (IA), the land forces branch of the Indian Armed Forces.[3] Customarily held by a four-star general officer, the COAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IA, tasked with the roles of overseeing the overall functioning of the force during peace and wartime, committing to the preparation-cum-maintenance of the force's operational effectiveness and defending the nation's territorial integrity-cum-sovereignty.[4] Also a permanent member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and the National Security Council (NSC), the COAS also bears the responsibility of advising the nation's civilian leadership i.e., the Government of India on all matters privy to the IA.[5]

Statutorily, the COAS ranks 12th-overall in the Indian order of precedence, and is the IA's status-equivalent of the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff - all three positions of which are also occupied by four-star officers from the armed forces.[6]

History

Pre-independence era (1748-1947)

The position's initial roots finds its origins in the 18th century, when the

Kitchener Reforms in 1903, up until the establishment of India's independence in 1947, the C-in-C functioned as the supreme commander of the armed forces in the subcontinent, liaising directly with the Governor-General of India
over the administrative affairs of the stationed military.

Dominion-era (1947-1950)

Following independence and the subsequent partition of the subcontinent, the BIA was bifurcated into two new entities: the modern-day Indian Army (IA) - responsible for the Dominion of India, and the newly-formed Pakistan Army (PA) - responsible for the Dominion of Pakistan. However, the post of C-in-C was trifurcated into three positions: the C-in-C Indian Army, the C-in-C Pakistan Army and the Supreme Commander India and Pakistan.

Following independence, the IA retained its headquarters at

Bombay and Karachi, respectively, and with the responsibility of overseeing the repatriation of British military units to the United Kingdom.[9] In June 1948, the title of C-in-C was modified with the prefix Chief of the Army Staff, and re-designated as Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (COAS & C-in-C) [10]

In January 1949, upon the impeding retirement of General Sir Roy Bucher - the IA's second C-in-C, the Government of India considered the decision to appoint a native Indian general officer to the position; up until then, Indian officers had only achieved the positions associated with the three-star rank of lieutenant general.[11] Three lieutenant-generals were shortlisted as candidates for the position, namely:

Ultimately, Cariappa was chosen to succeed Bucher, which he did on 15 January 1949, with the substantive rank of a four-star general - which thus made him the first Indian-origin general and first native chief of the Indian Army; the day of his appointment has been commemorated annually ever since as Army Day.[12] Shrinagesh, nevertheless, later served as COAS from 1955 to 1957.[13]

Republic-era (1950-present)

In 1955, the designation of the position was shortened to simply to Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) through the Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act, 1955; as a result of the Act, the tenure of the then-serving C-in-C - General Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, continued under the new designation.[14]

In January 1973, General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw, the IA's seventh COAS, was promoted to the five-star rank of field marshal, in recognition of his leadership during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War - which made him the only-serving COAS to have ever been promoted to the rank.[15] K. M. Cariappa, the second C-in-C of the IA, too was promoted to field marshal thirteen years later, in January 1986; however, unlike Manekshaw, he had superannuated at the rank of general in 1953 and had been in retirement for thirty-three years before his elevation.[11] To note, although a field marshal is nominally the highest-ranking officer in the IA, the rank is all but titular with no operational duties attached, which leaves the COAS as the highest operationally-active officer in the IA.[16]

Description

The South Block, Central Secretariat, New Delhi - the station of the IHQ of MoD (Army), where the COAS is seated.

Roles and responsibilities

Seated at the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) (IHQ of MoD (Army)), stationed in New Delhi, the COAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IA, and is tasked with the following:

  • Responsibility for the overall functioning of the organization's facets, such as command, control, administration and strategy.[17]
  • Commitment towards the preparation-cum-maintenance of the organization's troops, equipment, facilities and operational effectiveness during periods of peace and conflict.[18]
  • Protection of the nation's territorial integrity-cum-sovereignty during periods of armed conflict or war.[4][19]
  • Advising the Central Government on all matters privy to the IA.[5]
  • Convening court-martials at the behest of the Central Government to review cases of misconduct during peace and wartime.[20]
  • Reviewing the judicial sentencing and pleas of officers convicted of professional misconduct whilst in service.[20]

In addition to these responsibilities, the COAS is also a permanent member of:

The office's eminence in the aforementioned groups thus grants the appointee with the role to advise the Minister of Defence (Raksha Mantri or RM) on the affairs related to the IA's functioning and the promotion of an comprehensive integrated planning policy with respect to the affairs of tri-service integration, doctrinal strategy, capability development, defence acquisition and infrastructure.[21][22]

Structure

As the professional head of the force, the COAS is assisted by one subordinate officer and three principal staff officers, namely:

Promotion

Beginning in the pre-independence era, the office of COAS has customarily been held by a

Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) and five General Officer Commanding-in-Chiefs (of the force's five combatant commands) - all of whom are lieutenant generals, before making a decision.[26] Appointments to the position are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) - comprising the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, upon recommendation from the IHQ of MoD (Army); appointees to the office are automatically deemed promoted to the rank of general.[27]

Notably, for the first two decades following India's independence, the C-in-C and the successor COAS were the only four-star officers in the Indian Armed Forces, while the chiefs of the Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Air Force (IAF) were headed by three-star vice admirals and air marshals, respectively; the first chiefs to be promoted to four-star ranks of admiral and air chief marshal occurred in 1968 and 1966, respectively.[28]

Since 1950, the senior-most lieutenant generals in the IA's command cadre have customarily been appointed as COAS, nevertheless, this tradition has been broken twice, first in 1983 - when then-prime minister Indira Gandhi chose to appoint then-Lieutenant General A. K. Vaidya to supersede one senior officer, and in 2016 - when prime minister Narendra Modi chose to appoint then-Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat to supersede two senior officers.[12]

Tenure

According to the IA's Army Rules, 1954 - a COAS-appointee reaches

superannuation upon the completion of three years in the position or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.[29] However, COAS-appointees are almost never given any extension to their tenures; strikingly, the only time such was ever granted was to General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw, the then-COAS, who received a six-month extension - which postponed his original superannuation date of June 1972 to January 1973.[30]

Previously, in the event of the an abrupt stoppage during the incumbent's tenure - by termination, resignation or sudden demise, the senior-most lieutenant-general in IA's command cadre has customarily been appointed as the successor; this situation has occurred twice in the past: first in 1962 - when then-Lieutenant General J. N. Chaudhuri was appointed after the resignation of then-incumbent General Pran Nath Thapar, and again in 1993 - when then-Lieutenant General Shankar Roychowdhury was appointed after the sudden demise of then-incumbent General B. C. Joshi.[31]

Additionally, a COAS-appointee is also eligible to be selected for the position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in accordance with the Army (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 - which prescribes that the designated nominee, in this case the COAS, must be under the age of 62 at the time of appointment as CDS; as of 2024, General Bipin Rawat has been the sole COAS-appointee to be appointed to the position of CDS.[32][33]

Appointees

The undermentioned table chronicles the appointees to the office of Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (C-in-C) and the successor office of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), beginning from August 1947 to the present-day.[34] Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1955)

No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office Unit of Commission
1
51st Sikhs
2
CB, MC
(1895–1980)
[a]
1 January 194814 January 19491 year, 14 days4th Cameronians
3
OBE
(1899–1993)
15 January 194914 January 19533 years, 365 days88th Carnatic Infantry
4
Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO
(1899–1964)
14 January 19531 April 19552 years, 77 days2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)[35]

Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present)

No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office Unit of Commission
1
Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO
(1899–1964)
1 April 195514 May 195543 days2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
2
Satyawant Mallana Srinagesh
Shrinagesh, S.General
Satyawant Mallana Srinagesh
(1903–1977)
15 May 19557 May 19571 year, 357 days19th Hyderabad Regiment
3
Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, DSO
Thimayya, KodenderaGeneral
Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, DSO
(1906–1965)
8 May 19577 May 19614 years, 0 days19th Hyderabad Regiment
4
Pran Nath Thapar, PVSM
Thapar, PranGeneral
Pran Nath Thapar, PVSM
(1906–1975)
8 May 196119 November 19621 year, 195 days1st Punjab Regiment
5
OBE
(1908–1983)
20 November 19627 June 19663 years, 199 days16th Light Cavalry
6
Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, DSO, MBE
Kumaramangalam, Paramasiva PrabhakarGeneral
Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, DSO, MBE
(1913–2000)
8 June 19667 June 19692 years, 364 daysRegiment of Artillery
7
Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC
Manekshaw, SamField Marshal
Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC
(1914–2008)
8 June 196915 January 19733 years, 221 days8th Gorkha Rifles
8
Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, PVSM
Bewoor, Gopal GurunathGeneral
Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, PVSM
(1916–1989)
16 January 197331 May 19752 years, 135 daysDogra Regiment
9
Tapishwar Narain Raina, MVC, SM
Raina, Tapishwar NarainGeneral
Tapishwar Narain Raina, MVC, SM
(1921–1980)
1 June 197531 May 19782 years, 364 daysKumaon Regiment
10
Om Prakash Malhotra, PVSM
Malhotra, Om PrakashGeneral
Om Prakash Malhotra, PVSM
(1922–2015)
1 June 197831 May 19812 years, 364 daysRegiment of Artillery
11
Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, PVSM
Rao, K.General
Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, PVSM
(1923–2016)
1 June 198131 July 19831 year, 364 daysMahar Regiment
12
9th Deccan Horse
13
Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM
Sundarji, KrishnaswamyGeneral
Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM
(1928–1999)
1 February 198631 May 19882 years, 120 daysMahar Regiment
14
ADC
(born 1930)
1 June 198830 June 19902 years, 29 days16th Light Cavalry
15
Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM
Rodrigues, Sunith FrancisGeneral
Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM
(1933–2022)
1 July 199030 June 19932 years, 364 daysRegiment of Artillery
16
64th Cavalry
17
ADC
(born 1937)
20 November 199430 September 19972 years, 314 days20th Lancers
18
Ved Prakash Malik, PVSM, AVSM
Chowdhury, Shankar RoyGeneral
Ved Prakash Malik, PVSM, AVSM
(born 1939)
1 October 199730 September 20002 years, 365 daysSikh Light Infantry
19
Sundararajan Padmanabhan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Padmanabhan, SundararajanGeneral
Sundararajan Padmanabhan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
(born 1940)
1 October 200031 December 20022 years, 91 daysRegiment of Artillery
20
Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM
Vij, Nirmal ChanderGeneral
Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM
(born 1943)
1 January 200331 January 20052 years, 30 daysDogra Regiment
21
ADC
(born 1945)
1 February 200530 September 20072 years, 241 daysMaratha Light Infantry
22
ADC
(born 1948)
1 October 200731 March 20102 years, 181 daysRegiment of Artillery
23
ADC
(born 1950)
1 April 201031 May 20122 years, 60 daysRajput Regiment
24
ADC
(born 1952)
1 June 201231 July 20142 years, 60 daysSikh Light Infantry
25
5th Gorkha Rifles
26
ADC
(1958–2021)
31 December 201631 December 20193 years11th Gorkha Rifles
27
ADC
(born 1960)
31 December 201930 April 20222 years, 120 daysSikh Light Infantry
28
ADC
(born 1962)
30 April 2022Incumbent1 year, 333 daysBombay Sappers

See also

Former command offices

Other offices of the Indian Armed Forces

History

Notes

  1. ^ a b Formerly British Indian Army. Seconded from the British Army.

References

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  16. ^ "Rank for Indian Army". atharvafoundation.in.
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  18. ^ "India 'fully prepared & capable' — Army chief on Chinese challenge along northern border". theprint.in. 15 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Stand with Army, threat to territorial integrity will be fought with equal force: Ladakh MP". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 24 June 2020.
  20. ^ a b "The Army Act, 1950" (PDF).
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  22. ^ "CDS Rawat to face hurdles & sabotage unless rules are rewritten". www.orfonline.org. 2 January 2020.
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  27. ^ "Due process followed in selection and appointment of Army chief, say defence ministry sources". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 18 January 2016.
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  32. ^ "Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star General". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  33. ^ "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (Department of Defence) NOTIFICATION" (PDF). assettype.com.
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Sources