The Government of India has amended Service Rules of the Army, Navy and Air Force, allowing retired Service Chiefs and three-star officers eligible for consideration for the country’s top military post. #CAbyMilitaryChoice @ssbchoice
However, with an age limit that the retired officer should not have attained 62 years on the date of appointment, retired Service Chiefs are largely ruled out.
This amendment makes all three-star rank officers who have retired in the last two years eligible for the post, as Lieutenant Generals in the Army, Vice-Admirals in the Navy and Air Marshals in the Air Force retire at the age of 60.
In December 2019, the Government approved the creation of the post of CDS.
Gen. Bipin Rawat, who had served as the 27th Army Chief from December 31, 2016 till December 31, 2019, took over as the first CDS on January 1, 2020.
The age limit for the CDS’s post is 65 years with no fixed tenure defined, unlike for the Service Chief which is three years of tenure or 62 years of age.
