Defence Forces Keep Away From Politics Asserts CDS General Rawat

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said that defence forces keep away from politics and act on the directions of the government in power. Addressing media persons at South Block after taking over as CDS, he responded to a question on the issue. General Rawat observed that his mandate would be to ensure more synergy between various wings of the armed forces, the army, air force and navy. The Chief of Defence Staff remarked that 1++1+1 should be 5 or 7 and that synergised effort should be more than the sum of the whole.

General Rawat commented that as CDS he would ensure that the Army, Air Force and Navy work as a team. He would work for united and integrated tri-services, he observed. General Rawat said he would focus on resource management and on uniformity in procurement policy seeking to integrate systems in the three services.

Earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff paid tributes to martyrs at the National War Memorial and also received a Tri-service guard of honour. The CDS met senior officers from all three defence services, army, air force and navy and also posed for photographs with them.

When asked how it felt to be the first CDS, General Rawat responded jokingly, "My head is feeling lighter. I wore my Gorkha hat for many years and am now wearing my peak cap after 40 years. My peak cap suggests we will be neutral," he added.

General Rawat greeted members of the media corps and wished them a happy new year.