Pre-independence era (1748-1947)

The position's initial roots finds its origins in the 18th century, when the East India Company (EIC) - a British-origin trade establishment and the then-de facto administrative organization of the Indian subcontinent, established the position of Commander-in-Chief, India (C-in-C) in 1748 to head its three Presidency Armies, namely the Bengal Army, the Bombay Army and the Madras Army.^[7] Following the 1857-58 Indian rebellion against EIC rule, the control of the Presidency Armies were transferred directly to the British Crown, which succeeded the EIC as the official ruling-cum-governing entity of India. In 1895, the three armies were merged to form a unified British Indian Army (BIA), under the direct control of the C-in-C.^[8] Following the Kitchener Reforms in 1903, up until the establishment of India's independence in 1947, the C-in-C functioned as the supreme commander of the armed forces in the subcontinent, liaising directly with the Governor-General of India over the administrative affairs of the stationed military.

Dominion-era (1947-1950)

Following independence and the subsequent partition of the subcontinent, the BIA was bifurcated into two new entities: the modern-day Indian Army (IA) - responsible for the Dominion of India, and the newly-formed Pakistan Army (PA) - responsible for the Dominion of Pakistan. However, the post of C-in-C was trifurcated into three positions: the C-in-C Indian Army, the C-in-C Pakistan Army and the Supreme Commander India and Pakistan.

Following independence, the IA retained GHQ India, New Delhi - headed by General Sir Rob Lockhart as the first post-independence C-in-C, while the PA established its headquarters at GHQ Pakistan, Rawalpindi - headed by General Frank Messervy (later succeeded by General Sir Douglas Gracey) as its inaugural C-in-C. Nevertheless, the two forces were directed under the auspices of the Supreme Commander's Headquarters (Supreme HQ), headed by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, the Supreme Commander. In January 1948, the position of Supreme Commander was abolished and bifurcated into the positions of Commander British Forces in India and the Commander British Forces in Pakistan, located at Bombay and Karachi, respectively, and with the responsibility of overseeing the repatriation of British military units to the United Kingdom.^[9] In June 1948, the title of C-in-C was modified with the prefix Chief of the Army Staff, and re-designated as Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (COAS & C-in-C) ^[10]

In January 1949, upon the impeding retirement of General Sir Roy Bucher - the IA's second C-in-C, the Government of India considered the decision to appoint a native Indian general officer to the position; up until then, Indian officers had only achieved the positions associated with the three-star rank of lieutenant general.^[11] Three lieutenant-generals were shortlisted as candidates for the position, namely:

• Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa - General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command.^[12]
• Lieutenant General Nathu Singh Rathore - General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command.^[12]
• Lieutenant General S. M. Shrinagesh - General Officer Commanding, XV Corps; also overall commander of Indian troops during the 1947-48 Indo-Pakistani War.^[12]

Ultimately, Cariappa was chosen to succeed Bucher, which he did on 15 January 1949, with the substantive rank of a four-star general - which thus made him the first Indian-origin general and first native chief of the Indian Army; the day of his appointment has been commemorated annually ever since as Army Day.^[12] Shrinagesh, nevertheless, later served as COAS from 1955 to 1957.^[13]

Republic-era (1950-present)

In 1955, the designation of the position was shortened to simply to Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) through the Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act, 1955; as a result of the Act, the tenure of the then-serving C-in-C - General Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, continued under the new designation.^[14]

In January 1973, General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw, the IA's seventh COAS, was promoted to the five-star rank of field marshal, in recognition of his leadership during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War - which made him the only-serving COAS to have ever been promoted to the rank.^[15] K. M. Cariappa, the second C-in-C of the IA, too was promoted to field marshal thirteen years later, in January 1986; however, unlike Manekshaw, he had superannuated at the rank of general in 1953 and had been in retirement for thirty-three years before his elevation.^[11] To note, although a field marshal is nominally the highest-ranking officer in the IA, the rank is all but titular with no operational duties attached, which leaves the COAS as the highest operationally-active officer in the IA.^[16]

Roles and responsibilities

Seated at the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) (IHQ of MoD (Army)), stationed in New Delhi, the COAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IA, and is tasked with the following:

• Responsibility for the overall functioning of the organization's facets, such as command, control, administration and strategy.^[17]
• Commitment towards the preparation-cum-maintenance of the organization's troops, equipment, facilities and operational effectiveness during periods of peace and conflict.^[18]
• Protection of the nation's territorial integrity-cum-sovereignty during periods of armed conflict or war.^[4][19]
• Advising the Central Government on all matters privy to the IA.^[5]
• Convening court-martials at the behest of the Central Government to review cases of misconduct during peace and wartime.^[20]
• Reviewing the judicial sentencing and pleas of officers convicted of professional misconduct whilst in service.^[20]

In addition to these responsibilities, the COAS is also a permanent member of:

• Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC)
• National Security Council (NSC)
• Defence Planning Committee (DPC)
• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)

The office's eminence in the aforementioned groups thus grants the appointee with the role to advise the Minister of Defence (Raksha Mantri or RM) on the affairs related to the IA's functioning and the promotion of an comprehensive integrated planning policy with respect to the affairs of tri-service integration, doctrinal strategy, capability development, defence acquisition and infrastructure.^[21][22]

Structure

As the professional head of the force, the COAS is assisted by one subordinate officer and three principal staff officers, namely:

• Subordinate:
  • Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS)
• Principal Staff Officers:^[23]
  • Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance) (DCOAS - CD&S)^[24]
  • Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Coordination) (DCOAS - IS&C)^[24]
  • Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Strategy) (DCOAS - Strategy)^[24]

Promotion

Beginning in the pre-independence era, the office of COAS has customarily been held by a four-star general.^[25] The move to appoint a new designate to the position usually begins three months before the change-of-command, wherein the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reviews the résumés of the IA's sole Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) and five General Officer Commanding-in-Chiefs (of the force's five combatant commands) - all of whom are lieutenant generals, before making a decision.^[26] Appointments to the position are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) - comprising the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, upon recommendation from the IHQ of MoD (Army); appointees to the office are automatically deemed promoted to the rank of general.^[27]

Notably, for the first two decades following India's independence, the C-in-C and the successor COAS were the only four-star officers in the Indian Armed Forces, while the chiefs of the Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Air Force (IAF) were headed by three-star vice admirals and air marshals, respectively; the first chiefs to be promoted to four-star ranks of admiral and air chief marshal occurred in 1968 and 1966, respectively.^[28]

Since 1950, the senior-most lieutenant generals in the IA's command cadre have customarily been appointed as COAS, nevertheless, this tradition has been broken twice, first in 1983 - when then-prime minister Indira Gandhi chose to appoint then-Lieutenant General A. K. Vaidya to supersede one senior officer, and in 2016 - when prime minister Narendra Modi chose to appoint then-Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat to supersede two senior officers.^[12]

Tenure

According to the IA's Army Rules, 1954 - a COAS-appointee reaches superannuation upon the completion of three years in the position or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.^[29] However, COAS-appointees are almost never given any extension to their tenures; strikingly, the only time such was ever granted was to General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw, the then-COAS, who received a six-month extension - which postponed his original superannuation date of June 1972 to January 1973.^[30]

Previously, in the event of the an abrupt stoppage during the incumbent's tenure - by termination, resignation or sudden demise, the senior-most lieutenant-general in IA's command cadre has customarily been appointed as the successor; this situation has occurred twice in the past: first in 1962 - when then-Lieutenant General J. N. Chaudhuri was appointed after the resignation of then-incumbent General Pran Nath Thapar, and again in 1993 - when then-Lieutenant General Shankar Roychowdhury was appointed after the sudden demise of then-incumbent General B. C. Joshi.^[31]

Additionally, a COAS-appointee is also eligible to be selected for the position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in accordance with the Army (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 - which prescribes that the designated nominee, in this case the COAS, must be under the age of 62 at the time of appointment as CDS; as of 2024, General Bipin Rawat has been the sole COAS-appointee to be appointed to the position of CDS.^[32][33]

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1955)

Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present)

Former command offices

• Commander-in-Chief, India
• Chief of the General Staff

Other offices of the Indian Armed Forces

• Chief of Defence Staff
• Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
• Chief of Integrated Defence Staff
• Chief of the Naval Staff
• Chief of the Air Staff

History

• Field Marshal of the Indian Army
• List of serving generals of the Indian Army