Who Is Bipin Rawat ?
On December 30, 2019, Bipin Laxman Singh Rawat, was crowned India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Unfortunately, we lost him on Wednesday, 8 December, 2021 in a helicopter crash. From January 1, 2020, the former Indian Army Chief took office. General Bipin of CDS Rawat, family members, and personnel were on board when the IAF Mi17V5 chopper crashed on Wednesday in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
Birth
General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defense Staff, was born in Pauri, Uttarakhand on March 16,1958. His father, Lieutenant-General Laxman Singh Rawat, served in the Indian Army and progressed through the ranks. His mother was the daughter of a former MLA from Uttarkashi, Uttrakhand.
Education
He attended Cambrian Hall School in Dehradun and St. Edward’s School in Shimla for his formal education before joining the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, where he was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour.’
He also attended the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington and the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he completed the Higher Command Course.
He also graduated from the University of Madras with an M.Phil. in Defence Studies and a certification in Management and Computer Studies. He was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy by Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut for his study in military media strategic studies.
Military Career
CDS Bipin Rawat was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles’ 5th battalion on December 16, 1978, the same regiment as his father Laxman Singh Rawat. He spent ten years in the military executing counter-insurgency actions and held positions ranging from Major to CDS.
CDS Bipin Rawat led a battalion at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, while stationed as a Major. As a Colonel, he led his battalion along the LAC at Kibithu. He led the 5 Sector of the Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore and a multinational Brigade in a Chapter VII operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), where he received the Force Commander’s Commendation twice.
When Bipin Rawat was appointed to Major General, he took over as the General Officer Commanding the 19th Infantry Division in Uri. He led III Corps, located in Dimapur, as a Lieutenant General before gaining command of the Southern Army in Pune.
After being appointed to Army Commander, he became the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Southern Command. He was elevated to Vice Chief of Army Staff after a brief assignment.
On December 17, 2016, the Government of India named him as the 27th Chief of Army Staff, and he took office on December 31, 2016. He was also the Indian Army’s 57th and last Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. On December 30, 2021, he was appointed as the first CDS, and he took office on January 1, 2020.
On January 1, 2020, General Rawat became India’s first Chief of Defence Staff. General Rawat was charged as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff with bringing in theatre command and jointness across the three services – Army, Navy, and Air Force – and he pushed for it with a tough attitude and clear timetables in the previous two years.
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