General Bipin Rawat took over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on December 17, 2016, succeeding General Dalbir Singh Suhag.
After graduating from the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Rawat was recruited into the Indian Army in December 1978 and was enlisted in the same unit as his father, the fifth battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles.
Rawat is widely revered for his extensive expertise in the field of counterinsurgency warfare and has been known to have served in some of the most perilous terrains of India, including the northern and eastern commands.
In his four decades-long services, Rawat has served as a Brigade Commander, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-C) Southern Command, General Staff Officer Grade 2 at the Military Operations Directorate, Colonel Military Secretary and Deputy Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch and Senior Instructor in the Junior Command Wing.
He has also been an integral part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and has spearheaded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Neutralizing militancy in the Northeast is one of the most significant accomplishments of General Bipin Rawat’s decorated career in the Indian Army and the 2015 cross-border operation into Myanmar in which the Indian Army successfully retaliated to an ambush by NSCN-K militants is the best embodiment of his excellence.
During his service, General Rawat has been adorned with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, and Sena Medal.
