Lt Gen Bipin Rawat (Chief of Army Staff in India)

Lt Gen Bipin Rawat was just named as the next Chief of Army Staff in India. This is a radically different move from usual in that the most experienced eligible officer is usually the one who gets this post when it becomes available. So, who is Bipin Rawat and what is it about him that helped him get this position over Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi?

Early History

Lt Gen Bipin Rawat was born into a family that had been serving in the national army for decades. His is particularly the son of Lt Gen LS Rawat.

He joined the Indian Military Academy when in 1978 and received the Sword of Honour award. He joined the national Battalion in 1979 in Mizoram.

While in the Battalion, he was the group’s field commander. His group was judged as the best in NEFA during his time period.

He worked with the 5/11 Gorkha Rifles during his time in the army. He eventually became the commander of the Southern Command in Pune. Rawat has worked as the commander of an infantry group at the Line of Actual Control, a key infantry group based out of the Kashmir Valley.

Rawat’s history was not fully perfect as there were some real threats to his life while serving. The most noteworthy came in that he survived a helicopter wreck while commanding the Headquarters 3 Corps in Dimapur.

Academic Background

Rawat has an exceptionally strong academic background. He has written many articles on the subjects of leadership and national security and has had them published in many major journals within the military sector. He holds a number of degrees:

He holds a degree in Defence and Management Studies from Devi Ahilya University in Indore.
He also has degrees in Strategic and Defence Studies from Madras University.
The most prominent work from Rawat comes from his doctorate studies at Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut in 2011. He earned his Doctorate of Philosophy from the school and extensively studied strategies on how the military can use the media in many forms.
Rawat has studied extensively in the fields of computer studies and in business management.

Working In DRC

Much of Rawat’s work occurred in many foreign parts of the world. He particularly worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a peacekeeping mission with the United Nations. This took place in 2008 amid ongoing concerns over the stability of this part of Africa.

During that time period, Rawat’s group experienced a serious offensive threat. Rawat assisted the Congolese army in its efforts to stay protected and also worked with improved coordination between departments to keep everyone on guard during this threatening period.

Many supporters of Rawat state that he helped to make the Indian army stronger and more assertive. This included ensuring that there would not be any problems with India’s army as it was aiming to improve living situations all around the region.

A Major Promotion

Bipin Rawat will be taking in the position as the next Chief of Army Staff on 1^st January 2017. General Dalbir Singh will retire at the end of December. The promotion for Rawat marks the first time in nearly thirty years where the senior-most available figure will not be promoted to this position. This is especially surprising in that Rawat was only named the vice-chief of the army just a few months ago.

Statistics on Bipin Rawat’s Army

Size of Army	1.3 million active personnel and 1.3 million added paramilitary members
Battalion Size	About 500 to 800 members on average
Largest Individual Indian Army Groups	About 3,000 people, with typically four or five separate battalions, make up the largest groups
Number of Women	Only about 4 percent of all members of the Indian Army are women

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