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Chief of the Army Staff (India)

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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 and maintenance of the force's operational effectiveness and defending the nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty.[4]

Chief of the Army Staff
Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff
since 30 June 2024
 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; 76 years ago (1948-06-21)
First holderGeneral Rob Lockhart
Deputy Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS)
Salary₹250,000 (US$3,000) monthly[1][2]

Being 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]

Description

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

Roles and responsibilities

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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:

  • Advising the Central Government on all matters privy to the IA.[5]
  • Commitment to enhancing the force's capabilities towards sustaining combat readiness and operational effectiveness during periods of peace and conflict.[7]
  • Coordinating various components of the IA towards ensuring the protection-cum-realization of the nation's territorial integrity-cum-sovereignty during states of armed conflict or war.[4][8]
  • Providing direction towards the overall functioning of the organization's facets, such as command, control, administration and strategy.[9]
  • Convening courts-martial at the behest of the Central Government to review cases of misconduct during peace and wartime.[10]
  • Reviewing the judicial sentencing and pleas of officers convicted of professional misconduct whilst in service.[10]

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.[11][12]

Structure

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

Promotion

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Beginning in the pre-independence era, the office of COAS has customarily been held by a four-star general.[15] The move to appoint a new designate to the position usually begins three months before the change-of-command, wherein the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reviews the résumés of the IA's sole 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.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

Tenure

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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.[20] However, an appointee may also be dismissed from office by the President of India before the conclusion of the tenure under Section 18-19 of the Army Act, 1950 and Article 310 of the Constitution.[21]

Additionally, the appointee is eligible for an extension in tenure beyond the age of superannuation, as defined by Rule 16 A (4) Army Rules, 1954.[22] However, extensions to serving appointees have been rare, and have only been granted twice since 1947; first in June 1972 to General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw, who received a six-month extension which allowed him to serve until January 1973; and in May 2024 to General Manoj Pande, who received a one-month extension which allowed to serve until June 2024.[22][23]

Previously, in the event of 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.[24]

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.[25][26]

History

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Pre-independence era (1748–1947)

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The position's initial roots finds its origins in the 18th century, when the East India Company (EIC) - a British-origin trade establishment and the then-de facto administrative organization of the Indian subcontinent, established the position of Commander-in-Chief, India (C-in-C) in 1748 to head its three Presidency Armies, namely the Bengal Army, the Bombay Army and the Madras Army.[27] Following the 1857-58 Indian rebellion against EIC rule, the control of the Presidency Armies were transferred directly to the British Crown, which succeeded the EIC as the official ruling-cum-governing entity of India. In 1895, the three armies were merged to form a unified British Indian Army (BIA), under the direct control of the C-in-C.[28] Following 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)

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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 GHQ India, New Delhi - headed by General Sir Rob Lockhart as the first post-independence C-in-C, while the PA established its headquarters at GHQ Pakistan, Rawalpindi - headed by General Frank Messervy (later succeeded by General Sir Douglas Gracey) as its inaugural C-in-C. Nevertheless, the two forces were directed under the auspices of the Supreme Commander's Headquarters (Supreme HQ), headed by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, the Supreme Commander. In January 1948, the position of Supreme Commander was abolished and bifurcated into the positions of Commander British Forces in India and the Commander British Forces in Pakistan, located at Bombay and Karachi, respectively, and with the responsibility of overseeing the repatriation of British military units to the United Kingdom.[29] 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). [30]

In January 1949, upon the impending 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.[31] 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.[19] Shrinagesh, nevertheless, later served as COAS from 1955 to 1957.[32]

Republic-era (1950–present)

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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.[33]

In January 1973, General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw, the Indian Army'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.[34] K. M. Cariappa, the second C-in-C of the Indian Army 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.[31] 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.[35]

Appointees

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For the IA's professional chiefs preceding 1947, see Commander-in-Chief, India.

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.[36] Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:

Commander-in-Chief, British Indian Army (1800–1948)

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No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office Unit of Commission
1Lockhart, RobGeneral
Sir Robert Mcgregor Macdonald Lockhart, KCB, CIE, MC
(1893–1981)
[a]		15 August 194731 December 1947108 days51st Sikhs
2Bucher, RoyGeneral
Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher, KBE, CB, MC
(1895–1980)
[a]		1 January 194820 June 1948171 days4th Cameronians

Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1948–1955)

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No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office Unit of Commission
1Bucher, RoyGeneral
Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher, KBE, CB, MC
(1895–1980)
[a]		21 June 194814 January 1949208 days4th Cameronians
2Cariappa, KodanderaField Marshal
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, OBE
(1899–1993)		15 January 194914 January 19533 years, 365 days88th Carnatic Infantry
3Jadeja, RajendrasinhjiGeneral
Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO
(1899–1964)		14 January 19531 April 19552 years, 77 days2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)[37]

Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present)

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No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office Unit of Commission
1Jadeja, RajendrasinhjiGeneral
Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO
(1899–1964)		1 April 195514 May 195543 days2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
2Shrinagesh, S.General
Satyawant Mallana Srinagesh
(1903–1977)		15 May 19557 May 19571 year, 357 days19th Hyderabad Regiment
3Thimayya, KodenderaGeneral
Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, DSO
(1906–1965)		8 May 19577 May 19614 years, 0 days19th Hyderabad Regiment
4Thapar, PranGeneral
Pran Nath Thapar, PVSM
(1906–1975)		8 May 196119 November 19621 year, 195 days1st Punjab Regiment
5Chaudhuri, Jayanto NathGeneral
Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, OBE
(1908–1983)		20 November 19627 June 19663 years, 199 days16th Light Cavalry
6Kumaramangalam, Paramasiva PrabhakarGeneral
Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, DSO, MBE
(1913–2000)		8 June 19667 June 19692 years, 364 daysRegiment of Artillery
7Manekshaw, SamField Marshal
Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC
(1914–2008)		8 June 196915 January 19733 years, 221 days8th Gorkha Rifles
8Bewoor, Gopal GurunathGeneral
Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, PVSM
(1916–1989)		16 January 197331 May 19752 years, 135 daysDogra Regiment
9Raina, Tapishwar NarainGeneral
Tapishwar Narain Raina, MVC, SM
(1921–1980)		1 June 197531 May 19782 years, 364 daysKumaon Regiment
10Malhotra, Om PrakashGeneral
Om Prakash Malhotra, PVSM
(1922–2015)		1 June 197831 May 19812 years, 364 daysRegiment of Artillery
11Rao, K.General
Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, PVSM
(1923–2016)		1 June 198131 July 19831 year, 364 daysMahar Regiment
12Vaidya, Arun ShridharGeneral
Arunkumar Shridhar Vaidya, PVSM, MVC, AVSM
(1926–1986)		1 August 198331 January 19862 years, 244 days The Deccan Horse (9 Horse)
13Sundarji, KrishnaswamyGeneral
Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM
(1928–1999)		1 February 198631 May 19882 years, 120 daysMahar Regiment
14Sharma, Vishwa NathGeneral
Vishwa Nath Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, ADC
(born 1930)		1 June 198830 June 19902 years, 29 days16th Light Cavalry
15Rodrigues, Sunith FrancisGeneral
Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM
(1933–2022)		1 July 199030 June 19932 years, 364 daysRegiment of Artillery
16Joshi, Bipin ChandraGeneral
Bipin Chandra Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC
(1935–1994)		1 July 199319 November 19941 year, 141 days64th Cavalry
17Roychowdhury, ShankarGeneral
Shankar Roy Chowdhary, PVSM, ADC
(born 1937)		20 November 199430 September 19972 years, 314 days20th Lancers
18Chowdhury, Shankar RoyGeneral
Ved Prakash Malik, PVSM, AVSM
(born 1939)		1 October 199730 September 20002 years, 365 daysSikh Light Infantry
19Padmanabhan, SundararajanGeneral
Sundararajan Padmanabhan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
(1940–2024)		1 October 200031 December 20022 years, 91 daysRegiment of Artillery
20Vij, Nirmal ChanderGeneral
Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM
(born 1943)		1 January 200331 January 20052 years, 30 daysDogra Regiment
21Vij, Nirmal ChanderGeneral
Joginder Jaswant Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC
(born 1945)		1 February 200530 September 20072 years, 241 daysMaratha Light Infantry
22Kapoor, DeepakGeneral
Deepak Kapoor, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
(born 1948)		1 October 200731 March 20102 years, 181 daysRegiment of Artillery
23Singh, Vijay KumarGeneral
Vijay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC
(born 1950)		1 April 201031 May 20122 years, 60 daysRajput Regiment
24Singh, BikramGeneral
Bikram Singh PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
(born 1952)		1 June 201231 July 20142 years, 60 daysSikh Light Infantry
25Singh, DalbirGeneral
Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC
(born 1954)		1 August 201431 December 20162 years, 152 days5th Gorkha Rifles
26Rawat, BipinGeneral
Bipin Rawat, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC
(1958–2021)		31 December 201631 December 20193 years11th Gorkha Rifles
27Naravane, Manoj MukundGeneral
Manoj Mukund Naravane, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
(born 1960)		31 December 201930 April 20222 years, 120 daysSikh Light Infantry
28General
Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC
(born 1962)		30 April 202230 June 20242 years, 61 daysBombay Sappers
29Dwivedi, UpendraGeneral
Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC
(born 1964)		30 June 2024Incumbent145 daysJammu and Kashmir Rifles

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chief of the Army Staff (India).

Former command offices

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Other offices of the Indian Armed Forces

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History

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Notes

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

References

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  1. ^ "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. ^ Biswas, Shreya, ed. (29 June 2016). "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Chief of the Army Staff". indianarmy.nic.in.
  4. ^ a b "Army capable of safeguarding security of country: Army chief". 8 June 2013.
  5. ^ a b "The Civil and the Military in India". www.theindiaforum.in. 12 February 2020.
  6. ^ "PRESIDENT'S SECRETARIAT" (PDF). www.mha.gov.in. 26 July 1979.
  7. ^ "Gen Upendra Dwivedi becomes chief of 1.3 million-strong Army". www.deccanherald.com. 30 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Stand with Army, threat to territorial integrity will be fought with equal force: Ladakh MP". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 24 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Indian Armed Forces". knowindia.india.gov.in.
  10. ^ a b "The Army Act, 1950" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Civil-military relations in Independent India". www.orfonline.org. 15 August 2022.
  12. ^ "CDS Rawat to face hurdles & sabotage unless rules are rewritten". www.orfonline.org. 2 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS)". indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  14. ^ a b c "Army HQ is in the middle of a makeover, and these are the changes introduced so far". theprint.in. 6 April 2021.
  15. ^ "India to now get chief of defence staff, will be a 4-star general". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 25 December 2019.
  16. ^ "In Bucking Army Seniority, Modi Takes a Leaf from Pakistani Playbook". thewire.in. 20 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Due process followed in selection and appointment of Army chief, say defence ministry sources". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 18 January 2016.
  18. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 23 March 1968. p. 245.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Selection of Army Chief" (PDF). spsindia.in.
  20. ^ "Army Rules, 1954" (PDF). www.mod.gov.in.
  21. ^ "Article 310 in Constitution of India". indiankanoon.org.
  22. ^ a b "In an Unusual Move, Govt Extends Army Chief General Pande's Tenure by One Month". thewire.in. 27 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Domestic, Regional Implications of Pakistani Army Chief's Term Extension". thewire.in. 23 August 2019.
  24. ^ "India's army chief is dead". www.upi.com. 18 November 1994.
  25. ^ "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.
  26. ^ "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (Department of Defence) NOTIFICATION" (PDF). assettype.com.
  27. ^ Jackson, Major Donovan (1940). India's Army. London: Low, Marston. pp. 1–8.
  28. ^ "Southern Command History". Indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  29. ^ "Press Communique - 12 November 1947 (Page 3)" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 10 November 1947. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Press Communique" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 21 June 1948. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  31. ^ a b Singh 2005, p. 38.
  32. ^ "Army generals surprise late chief's wife on her 99th birthday". www.hindustantimes.com. 15 August 2014.
  33. ^ "The Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act, 1955". VakilNo1.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  34. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India-Extraordinary. 2 January 1973. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Rank for Indian Army". atharvafoundation.in.
  36. ^ Official Indian Army Web Portal. "Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)". www.indianarmy.nic.in. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  37. ^ Contibutor, Bharat Rakshak - Indian Army & Land Forces. "General Maharaj Kumar Shri Rajendrasinhji DSO". www.Bharat-Rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2021.

Sources

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