Chief of Defence: Modi announces new military post, but questions remain

Will a five-star general be the boss of the four-star chiefs of the army, navy and air force or will he be the 'first among equals'?

In 1999, the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) recommended creating a Chief of Defence Staff   (CDS) — a supreme military commander of the army, navy and air force, who would also serve as the government’s single point of military advice. For the two decades since, successive governments shrank from appointing a CDS, citing the need for a political consensus.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat

In 2001, a group of ministers (GoM) endorsed the KRC recommendations, but the only joint command structure that emerged was a relatively toothless Integrated Defence