The CDS, who will also be the Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCSC) does not have a higher rank; he is like the other Service chiefs, a four-star general.
Some of the areas of responsibility given to Rawat are new, but most of what he is being asked to do is currently the responsibility of others. So, he will have to systematically prise them out of their hands and reorganise the manner in which they are done.
At each stage, he (CDS) will face obstruction and even sabotage. And there will be limits to the extent he can run to Doval or the prime minister to get help.
The new Department of Military Affairs (DMA), which he (CDS) will head, has been inserted into the civilian MoD. This will not be easy for the babus, because till now, they have been used to dealing with uniformed personnel at a distant.
The sincerity of the government to restructure and reform the defence system will become apparent only if we see them push ahead with changes in the Allocation of Business Rules (AOBR), Transaction of Business Rules (TOBR), and the Civil Service (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules.
Being the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) gives General Bipin Rawat two great advantages. First, he will be writing on a blank slate and can therefore leave his own imprint on the office that comes with onerous and multi-faceted responsibilities. Second, he has the trust of the current political establishment and has been hand-picked by the National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval.