From Army Chief To India's First Chief Of Defence Staff - The Life Of General Bipin Rawat
Former Indian Army Chief and the first Chief of Defence Staff of India, General Bipin Laxman Singh Rawat, was killed along with his wife and some top Army officials in an Air Force helicopter crash in Coonoor near Ooty in Tamil Nadu.
The official handle of the Indian Army posted the tragic news on their social media account.
Army family
The 63-year-old joined the Indian Army on 16 December 1978, when was commissioned into the 5th battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles. His family had been serving in the Indian Army for many generations, and his father was Lieutenant General Laxman Singh Rawat.
Early life and education
Gen Bipin Rawat who was born in Pauri, Uttarakhand went to Cambrian Hall School, Dehradun and the St Edward’s School in Shimla. He later on joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun where he was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’.
Graduated from the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In the year 2011, he was awarded the Doctorate of Philosophy by Chaudhary Charan Singh University Meerut for his research on Military Media Strategic Studies. CDS Rawat was commissioned in the 5th battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles on 16 December 1978, it was the same post as his father’s. Rawat has a lot of experience in high altitude warfare and spent ten years of his career in conducting counter-insurgency operations.
Positions held
He was also commanding a company in Uri,Jammu and Kashmir as a Major. As a colonel, he was commanding his 5th Gorkha Rifles Battalion in the Eastern sector.
He was then promoted to the rank of Brigadier, Rawat then took the command of 5 Sector Rashtriya Rifles in Sapore.
He was then commanding the multinational Brigade in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of the congo. Here he was also awarded twice with the force of Commander’s commendation.
After getting promoted to Major General, Gen Rawat took over as the General Officer Commanding 19th Infantry Division (Uri). As a Lieutenant General he was commanding III corps, headquartered in Dimapur before taking over the Southern Army in Pune.
Third CoAS from Gorkha Brigade
He is the third person to become an officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the Chief of army Staff, after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and General Dalbir Singh Suhag.
First CDS
On 30 December 2019, he was appointed as the first CDS of India and assumed office from 1 January 2020. Prior to taking over as the CDS, he served as 57th and last Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee as well as 26th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.