Chair of excellence at United Service Institution of India in memory of General Bipin Rawat

New Delhi, March 15

On the 65th birthday eve of former Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, the Indian Army has dedicated a Chair of Excellence in his memory at the United Service Institution of India (USI).

The formal announcement was made by Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane, at a ceremony organized at the South Block on Tuesday. A cheque of Rs 5 lakh was handed over to Major General BK Sharma (retd), Director, USI which will be paid as honorarium to the nominated Chair of Excellence.

Called the ‘Gen Bipin Rawat Memorial Chair of Excellence’, it will focus on the field of ‘Jointness and Integration’ of the forces.

General Rawat, who was killed in a helicopter crash in December last year, was steering one of the most radical transformations of the Indian military and it was about ‘jointness and integration’.

The aim of the proposed Chair of Excellence will be to conduct research on ‘strategic issues of significance’ pertaining to the Armed Forces. The topic for this year’s research has been chosen as “Jointness and Integration in the Context of Land Warfare in India”.

The Chair of Excellence will be open to all veteran officers of the Armed Forces and civilians having expertise in the field of National Security and Military Affairs.

On the occasion, the Army Chief recounted that General Rawat was passionate about strategic thoughts and invested considerable time and energy in the activities of various Think Tanks and therefore, his 65th birthday provided an opportune moment to reinforce the Services’ bond with their intellectual institutions.

The Indian Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Manoj Pande, IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Marshal BR Krishna and Lt Gen SK Sharma, Deputy Chief of Strategy also attended the event.