India / Will work towards a goal where 1+1+1 is 5 or 7, not 3: CDS General Rawat

General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday took charge as country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

“The CDS has a task cut out: To make all three services work in a cohesive manner. We will work as team,” General Rawat said after taking charge.

“As team, we will work towards a goal where 1+1+1 is either five or seven, and not three. What I mean is, the synergised effort should not be the sum of the whole, it should be much more. And we have to achieve that through integration,” he added.

The CDS will also have to focus on better utilisation of resources and joint training, General Rawat said.

When asked about allegations that armed forces are being politicised, General Rawat said, “We stay very far away from politics. We have to work according to the directions of the government in power.”

As Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat will be the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all matters related to the tri-services.

Before taking charge, General Rawat received the ceremonial guard of honour and paid tributes at the National War Memorial.

General Rawat demitted office as the Army chief on Tuesday after serving at the post for three years. “My head feels lighter today,” General Rawat said,

Experts say the principal challenge for the country’s first CDS will be to integrate the armed forces into the government edifice to enable them to participate fully in decision-making. Another key responsibility would be to facilitate the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations.