Chief of Defence Staff and theatre commands: notes for bank exams

At a glance

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is India's senior-most military officer, created in 2019 to make the three services plan, buy and fight together ("jointness"). The CDS also heads the Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Defence. A central task given to the CDS is to reorganise the forces into integrated theatre commands, where units of all three services in one region come under one commander; as of October 2026 that plan still awaits approval.

Key facts

Post approved: 24 December 2019; first CDS took office 1 January 2020
Recommended by: Kargil Review Committee follow-up (Group of Ministers, 2001) and the Shekatkar Committee (2016)
First CDS: General Bipin Rawat (died in a helicopter crash, December 2021)
Second CDS: General Anil Chauhan (September 2022–May 2026)
Third CDS: General N. S. Raja Subramani (from 31 May 2026)
Department: Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Ministry of Defence; CDS is its Secretary
Other roles: Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister; Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority
Rank: four-star; serves up to age 65
Existing tri-service commands: Andaman and Nicobar Command (2001), Strategic Forces Command (2003)

How it works

The CDS is "first among equals": he does not command the Army, Navy or Air Force chiefs, who still head their services.
The DMA handles matters of the armed forces themselves (joint training, procurement of non-capital items, jointness), while the Department of Defence under the Defence Secretary handles policy and big-ticket purchases.
The Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023 gives commanders of joint formations disciplinary powers over personnel from all three services, a building block for theatres.

Theatre command plan (as reported):

Proposed command	Focus
Northern	China frontier
Western	Pakistan frontier
Maritime	Indian Ocean

The debate: the IAF, with a limited number of fighter squadrons, has argued against dividing its fighters permanently among theatres, preferring centralised control. The Army and supporters of theatres say single commanders would speed up joint war-fighting. Approval needs the Defence Minister and the Cabinet Committee on Security.

Timeline

2019: CDS post and DMA created
2020: Gen Bipin Rawat becomes first CDS (1 January)
2021: Gen Rawat dies in a helicopter crash (December)
2022: Gen Anil Chauhan becomes CDS (September)
2026: Gen N. S. Raja Subramani becomes third CDS (31 May)

Recent developments

26 Oct 2026: Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh, retiring on 31 October, said the IAF does not favour permanently splitting fighter fleets among geographical theatre commands and argued for "centralised control, decentralised execution". Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October.
31 May 2026: Gen N. S. Raja Subramani took over as the third CDS, succeeding Gen Anil Chauhan.

Exam traps

The CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs, not the Department of Defence (that is the Defence Secretary).
The CDS does not command the three service chiefs.
Andaman and Nicobar Command (2001) is India's only operational tri-service geographic command; it predates the CDS.
First CDS: Bipin Rawat; second: Anil Chauhan; third: N. S. Raja Subramani.

Quick check

Q: Who was India's first Chief of Defence Staff? A: General Bipin Rawat.
Q: Which department does the CDS head? A: The Department of Military Affairs.
Q: Who is the CDS as of October 2026? A: General N. S. Raja Subramani.

Chief of Defence Staff and theatre commands