On the eve of the 65th birthday of late Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, the Indian Army has instituted a Chair of Excellence in his memory at the United Service Institution of India (USI). The formal announcement was made by Gen. Manoj Naravane, Chief of Army Staff and Officiating Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, at a ceremony organised at South Block on Tuesday.
“The aim of the proposed Chair of Excellence will be to conduct research on strategic issues of significance pertaining to the armed forces,” the Army said in a statement. The Chair will be open to veterans of the three Services and civilians having expertise in the field of national security and military affairs, it stated.
Gen. Naravane also handed over a cheque for ₹5 lakh to Maj. Gen. B.K. Sharma (retd), Director, USI, which will be paid as honorarium to the nominated Chair of Excellence.
The late Gen. Rawat who served as India’s first CDS as well as the 27th Army Chief was in the midst of steering one of the most radical transformations of the Indian military. In line with that, the Chair of Excellence will focus on the field of jointness and integration.
The topic chosen for this year’s research is “jointness and integration in the context of land warfare in India”. The selection of candidates will be as per standard operating procedure of the USI, the period being from July 1 to June 30 every year, the statement added.
Gen. Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 others were killed when the Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V5 helicopter which was enroute from Sulur to the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, crashed in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu on December 8.
