January 2020

Despite the sit-in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that started in December, springing-up in different parts of the country, from national security’s perspective, the year began with the implementation of the much-anticipated military reform—appointment of Gen. Bipin Rawat as India’s first chief of defence staff (CDS). General Rawat had demitted office as chief of army staff on 31 December 2019, and the same afternoon assumed his new appointment. Originally envisaged as the top military advisor to the government of India, in its current form, the CDS is the top government pointsman for the military. Hence, instead of communicating the military advice to the government, Gen. Rawat has been telling the milita