From our bureo
NEW DELHI:The Ministry of defence has issued a notification on June 6 to broaden the scope of eligible officers for the post of the Chief of Defence Staff(CDS).
The new CDS could be anyone from the three service chiefs, any serving 3-star officer or any retired chief or retired 3-star officer who is below the age of 62.
The top serving and retired officers from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy will now be eligible for the top post.
The notification also opens a path for the second-highest active rank officers of the defence services to supersede their seniors – the chief of the army, air force, or navy – to take on the role. This is made possible because the notification mentioned that a serving Lieutenant General or their equivalent in the navy and air force could become the CDS.
Another change in eligibility criteria marks the inclusion of recently retired service chiefs and vice chiefs, despite the age ceiling being 62 years.
