Tag: CDS Bipin Rawat

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Indian Army honours Gen Rawat, sets up Chair at USI

Late General Bipin Rawat who served as India’s first CDS was an outstanding professional and was in the midst of steering one of the most radical transformations of the Indian military….reports Asian Lite News

The Indian Army has dedicated a Chair of Excellence in memory of late Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat at the United Service Institution of India (USI) on the eve of his 65th birthday.

The formal announcement was made by General M.M. Naravane, Chief of Army Staff and Officiating Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, at a ceremony organised at the South Block on Tuesday.

Indian Army Vice Chief Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral S.N. Ghormade, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Air Marshal B.R. Krishna and Deputy Chiefs of the Army Staff Lt Gen S.K. Sharma also attended the event.

A cheque of Rs 5 lakh was handed over to Maj Gen B.K. Sharma (retd), Director, USI which will be paid as honourarium to the nominated Chair of Excellence.

Pic credits @adgpi

Late General Bipin Rawat who served as India’s first CDS as well as the 27th Chief of Indian Army was an outstanding professional and was in the midst of steering one of the most radical transformations of the Indian military.

Gen Rawat Memorial Chair of Excellence will focus on the field of Jointness and Integration.

The Chair of Excellence is a befitting tribute to the astute leadership and professionalism of the General.

Pic credits @adgpi

On the occasion, the Army Chief recounted that General Rawat was passionate about strategic thoughts and invested considerable time and energy in the activities of various Think Tanks and therefore, his 65th birthday provided an opportune moment to reinforce the Services’ bond with their intellectual institutions.

The Chair will be open to Veterans of three Services and civilians having expertise in the field of National Security.

General Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 12 armed personnel were killed in a chopper crash on December 8, 2021.

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Bipin Rawat honoured with Padma Vibhushan

On January 14 this year, the Court of Inquiry constituted to probe the military chopper crash ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence as a cause of the accident…reports Asian Lite News

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), late General Bipin Rawat, has been posthumously honoured with the second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, on the occasion of 73rd Republic Day.

General Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 12 armed personnel were killed in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021.

Others who have been honoured with Padma Vibhushan include Prabha Atre (Art), Kalyan Singh (Public Affairs, Posthumous) and Radhyashyam Khemka (Literature & Education, Posthumous)

On January 14 this year, the Court of Inquiry constituted to probe the military chopper crash ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence as a cause of the accident.

Sharing preliminary findings of the tri-services Court of Inquiry report, the Indian Air Force said the chopper crash was a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

The inquiry team analysed the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident.

Gen Rawat was on a visit to the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Nilgiri Hills to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course.

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Gen Rawat left an ‘indelible mark’: Austin

“I had the privilege of meeting with him earlier this year and viewed him as a valued partner and friend of the United States,” said Austin. ….reports Arul Louis

Hailing General Bipin Rawat’s role in the transformation of India’s military, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he had left an ” indelible mark” on defence ties between the two countries.

“General Rawat left an indelible mark on the course of the US-India defense partnership and was at the center of the Indian Armed Forces’ transformation into a more jointly integrated warfighting organisation,” Austin said in a condolence message on Wednesday.

“I and the [Defense] Department extend our deepest condolences to the Rawat family, the Indian military, and the people of India after the tragic passing of Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash,” he said.

Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Nilgris on Wednesday.

“I had the privilege of meeting with him earlier this year and viewed him as a valued partner and friend of the United States,” Austin said.

Rawat had visited the US in September and met with Austin, Chairman of Chiefs of Defence Staff General Mark Milley and other officials and visted Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State.

After their meeting, Austin tweeted, “We reaffirmed our enduring commitment to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and discussed ways to drive greater interoperability between the US and Indian armed forces.”

The US Embassy in New Delhi said that “Rawat spearheaded a historic period of transformation in the Indian military.”

“He was a strong friend and partner of the United States, overseeing a major expansion of India’s defense cooperation with the US military,” it said.

ALSO READ: General Bipin Rawat Dies in Chopper Crash

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Adieu General! An Outstanding 43-Year Career

As CDS, General Rawat facilitated indigenisation of weapons and equipment to the maximum extent possible while formulating the overall defence acquisition plan for the three services.

After 43 years in service, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat (63) was tasked with making the Indian military modern and capable of dealing with any emerging security challenges on the Northern or Western borders.

Unfortunately, his life was cut short after a tragic chopper crash on Wednesday in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu killed Rawat, his wife and 11 others onboard the ill-fated helicopter.

General Rawat took charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff on January 1, 2020. The position was created to integrate the three services — Army, Navy and Air Force. The CDS is mandated to facilitate integration, ensure best economical use of resources allocated to the armed forces and bring uniformity in the procurement procedure.

As CDS, General Rawat was also the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all tri-services matters.

Later, he was also appointed as the head of the newly-created Department of Military Affairs.

On December 17, 2016, the government had appointed him as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff. He took charge on December 31, 2016, after the retirement of General Dalbir Singh Suhag.

He had assured the government that the Army, Navy and Air Force will work as a team and the CDS will ensure integration among the three forces.

He played a key role in ensuring optimum utilisation of allocated budget, ushering more synergy in procurement, training and operations of the services through joint planning and integration.

He facilitated indigenisation of weapons and equipment to the maximum extent possible while formulating the overall defence acquisition plan for the three services.

When he took over as Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat vowed to work to create more synergy among the three services.

“The CDS is mandated to facilitate integration, ensure best economical use of resources allocated to the armed forces and bring uniformity in the procurement procedure. I want to assure you that the Army, Navy and Air Force will work as a team and the CDS will ensure integration among these,” he had said.

Before being appointed as the CDS, he had served as Indian Army chief for three years.

He was an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and National Defence College. He also attended the Command and General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth in the US.

During his distinguished career in the Army, General Rawat commanded an infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector, a Rashtriya Rifles Sector, an infantry division in the Kashmir Valley and a Corps in the Northeast.

General Rawat had also commanded a Multinational Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As an Army Commander, he commanded a theatre of operations along the Western Front and was appointed the Vice Chief of the Army Staff before assuming office of Chief of Army Staff.

During the span of 43 years in the Army, General Rawat has been awarded several gallantry and distinguished service awards.

ALSO READ: Modi chairs security meet after CDS chopper crash

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Modi chairs security meet after CDS chopper crash

(Source: PMO via ANI)

As a mark of respect, the government will announce national mourning on Thursday, reports Asian Lite News

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the country’s top security officers held a meeting on Wednesday over the situation arising out of the IAF chopper crash in Tamil Nadu that killed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others onboard the ill-fated helicopter.

During the meeting, it was decided that as a mark of respect, the government will announce national mourning on Thursday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and top military, security and intelligence officers were part of the meeting. Discussion was also held over selecting the next Chief of Defence Staff designate.

Before the meeting, Rajnath Singh had spoken to Modi about the crash. He also asked Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari to rush to the accident site.

An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat with his staff and some family members on board, met with an accident near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, December 08, 2021. (Photo:photo screenshot)

In the meantime, Singh visited the residence of Rawat in Delhi and spoke to his daughter. Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Naravane had briefed Singh about the crash and related issues.

Earlier on Wednesday, General Rawat and his wife were among the 13 persons who were killed after the Mi17V5 helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons onboard have died in the unfortunate incident,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

General Rawat was on his way to the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Nilgiri Hills to address the faculty and student officers of the staff course.

Out of the 14 people onboard, the lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College, is currently undergoing treatment at the Military Hospital in Wellington.

General Bipin Rawat was on his way to the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Nilgiri Hills to address the faculty and student officers of the staff course.

Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier L.S. Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Naik Vivek Kumar, Naik B. Sai Teja and Havaldar Satpal were travelling along with General Rawat.

Apart from them, two pilots, a Group Captain and a gunner were onboard the ill-fated chopper.

Singh, along with his wife and seven staff, boarded a flight at Delhi for the Sulur IAF base near Coimbatore at 8:47. They landed in Sulur at 11:34 am. From there, they boarded the Mi17V5 helicopter at 11:48. At 12:22 pm, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) lost contact with the chopper, which crashed in a forest area around 7 km from Coonoor.

The IAF said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident. The report is expected in one month.

The mortal remains of all the deceased will be brought to Delhi on Thursday.