The Need For A China Expert As The New Chief Of Defense Services (CDS)

The appointment of Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan occurs as the armed services are going through a comprehensive reform.

New Delhi: On Tuesday, the centre named retired Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan as the new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS). The appointment of Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan comes over a year after the last defence chief perished in a helicopter crash and in the midst of a comprehensive reform of the armed forces.

                  China's expanding force presence along the border has alarmed the centre, and disputes—including deadly battles in the Himalayas in 2020—have long been a source of unease. After retiring from active duty last year, Lt Gen Chauhan (retd), who is known as a "China expert," has been advising the national security adviser.

               According to a late-Wednesday announcement from the defence ministry, he will assume the position of chief of the military staff "until further orders." Before resigning, Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) oversaw ground forces on the eastern front, which included much of the contentious border with China. 1962 saw a full-scale conflict between the two nations in the area over Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its entire territory and sees as a portion of Tibet.

              Along the 3,500-kilometer (2,200-mile) Line Of Actual Control, New Delhi and Beijing have frequently accused one another of attempting to take territory at strategic flashpoints. 2020 saw a dramatic deterioration in ties as a result of a high-altitude combat near the border separating Tibet from Ladakh that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers.

               But this month, after more than a dozen rounds of high-level military negotiations and a two-year standoff, both nations started to withdraw their soldiers from the vicinity of the incident. As the region is firmly within Beijing's sphere of influence, the Centre is also concerned about Beijing's expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean.

                    Members of the so-called Quad, a security alliance centred on the Indo-Pacific and intended to offer a more significant counterweight to China, include both India and the United States.

Long-term succession

                  A commanding position in Kashmir, the scene of a protracted uprising against Indian control, and cross-border operations against militant organisations in neighbouring Myanmar were also part of Lt Gen Chauhan's (retd) career. The question of who will follow General Bipin Rawat, who was died in a helicopter crash in December 2021, has been up in the air for months due to his appointment.

                The first chief of the defence staff, Gen. Rawat, 63, was seen as a close buddy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who established the position particularly for him. While in charge, Gen. Rawat often questioned Beijing's actions at their contentious frontiers and cautioned Nepal about China's expanding influence.

          With its first locally manufactured aircraft carrier unveiled earlier this month, the Center has been pushing to modernise and simplify its 1.4 million-strong armed forces while also attempting to lessen its reliance on foreign armaments.