At 1220 hours on Wednesday, 8th December 2021, a helicopter (chopper) carrying the Chief of Defence Staff (The Chief of Defence Staff is the leader of all the three major forces of India – the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy) and some other senior officers met with an accident in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. The post of the Chief of Defence Staff is now vacant.
Why is this important?
Good leadership is very important for any organisation. A good leader can take decisions that work well for the organisation. The Chief of Defence Staff position was created to improve co-ordination between the three important wings of the Indian Defence Forces. General Bipin Rawat was the first person to hold this position and his tenure helped to improve co-ordination between the three important units. The right person in this role makes a lot of difference to the operations (regular work) and the strategic (long-term) growth of the Forces.
The other reason for this to be an important development is our engagement with China. Since May 2020, India and China have been discussing the border situation. While the ministerial (between ministers) talks have their own place, a very important part of such situations is keeping the military force strong. The role of the CDS is key to that.
What happens now?
Immediately, there is a need to ensure that the leadership vacuum is minimised.
A leadership vacuum is when an important leadership position is empty.
The government will have to act fast to ensure that decisions are not delayed and a suitable leader is identified and appointed. It will also be important for the new leader to understand the work quickly and establish themselves.