NEW DELHI: Lt General Bipin Rawat is all set to join the list of the Chiefs of Army Staff serving the full tenure of three years.
General V P Malik was the last Army chief who completed three years. He served from October 1997 to September 2000. Before that K S Thimayya and J N B Chaudhury had served their full tenure of three years. The tenure of the Army chief is fixed as three years or till the completion of 62 years of age, whichever is earlier.
According to sources, the age of Rawat was also one of the key factors that worked in his favour, as the Modi government to wanted to have an Army chief who would serve till the government’s tenure ends. Next general elections are scheduled for May 2019.
On Saturday, the government decided to name Lt. Gen Rawat, currently posted as the vice chief of the Army, as the next chief of the force by superseding two senior generals.
Incidentally, Rawat’s father Lt Gen Laxman Singh Rawat had also served as vice chief of the Army.
Defending the move to supercede senior genrals, the government said that the final decision choosing the most suitable officer had taken into account various aspects of the security situation in the country and the future scenario as well.
“In the current security situation, counter terrorism and counter insurgency are key issues. Therefore the background and operational experience of the officers on the panel were considered in depth while selecting the next Chief Of Army Staff.
“Lt Gen Rawat fulfils this criteria by virtue of his operational assignments as commanding officer of the 19th division in Jammu & Kashmir and his outstanding track record, his familiarity with the functioning of the Army headquarters and the Ministry of Defence in his capacity as the vice chief and his general dynamism has also played a role in tipping the scales in his favour,” said a ministry official.
On Monday, Lt Gen Bipin Rawat and underlined the need for a “special focus” to achieve an all-weather connectivity to the strategic Ladakh region which borders China.
The Ladakh region remains cut off for almost half of the year throughout the winter season from the rest of India.
This happens due to intensive snowfall, avalanche and icing at passes viz Zozila on the Srinagar–Kargil–Leh road and Rohtang, Baralacha La, Lachung La and Tanglang La on the Manali– Sarchu–Upshi–Leh road.
“It, therefore, needs a special focus and the network of tunnels to have an all-weather connectivity,” a statement issued by the Army headquarters quoted the chief-designate as saying.
He was speaking at a one-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Defence on tunnelling in the north and northeastern region in New Delhi.