In January 2020, General Bipin Rawat became the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces. However, his tenure was tragically cut short by a helicopter crash in December 2021. The position remained vacant for almost nine months until General Anil Chauhan took over. Why did it take so long to fill the CDS position after General Rawat's passing? Was there genuine effort to reach political consensus earlier?

There were also concerns whether the CDS post was created solely for General Rawat, believed to be a favorite of the Modi government. Has the CDS role achieved anything substantial? What was the dream when the post was conceptualised and where do we stand now?

Host Dev Goswami and defense expert Shiv Aroor delve into the history of the CDS position, tracing it back to the Kargil war. The Kargil review committee, formed in 1999, recommended the CDS position due to evident lack of coordination between the army and air force during the conflict. But, are India's armed forces truly 'joint' despite the creation of the CDS role in 2019?

The duo also reflects on General Rawat's legacy, marked by controversies like his remarks classifying the Air Force as a 'support arm’, in an India Today interview. Does this hint at deeper divisions within the military?

Examining progress towards synergy among the armed forces, they ponder whether India is truly advancing in jointmanship or still grappling with turf wars and egos, exemplified by debates over HAL Prachand helicopters.

Listen in!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Nitin Rawat