To commemorate the first death anniversary of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his bust was unveiled by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt at United Service Institution of India (USI) in New Delhi on December 10, 2022. During the ceremony, rich tributes were paid to General Rawat by the Raksha Rajya Mantri, current CDS General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and other serving and retired members of the military fraternity.
The Armed Forces and the USI have taken the initiative to institute a Chair of Excellence and a Memorial Lecture in the memory of General Bipin Rawat at the Institution. During his illustrious service, India’s first CDS was conferred with PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM and Padma Vibhushan (posthumously). He was a visionary leader and a scholar soldier, known for his professionalism, principles, conviction and decisiveness.
During his four decades in service, General Rawat had gained vast operational experience in the full spectrum of warfare. As a brigadier, he led successful counter-terrorism operations in Sopore and successfully commanded a multinational brigade under United Nations in Democratic Republic of Congo. As a Major General, he had commanded an Infantry Division along the Line of Control in North Kashmir. As the Corps commander, he oversaw the conduct of hot pursuits of terror groups executed by Indian Army’s Special Forces into Myanmar. This was the beginning of the transformation of India’s strategic culture from restraint to assertion. Later on, as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, he was instrumental in overseeing the surgical strikes against Pakistan-based terrorist groups in PoK.
As Chief of the Army Staff, General Rawat’s achievements were remarkable in all spheres of military and national security affairs. He followed the Indian Army’s motto of ‘Service before Self’ as a guiding principle throughout his Army career. As the first CDS, he rallied for organisational and structural reforms to integrate the Armed Forces. Path breaking transformational initiatives and civil-military synergy will remain his legacy.