Chief of the Army Staff (India)

Chief of the Army Staff
since 30 June 2024
 Indian Army
StatusProfessional head of land forces branch of the Indian Armed Forces.
AbbreviationCOAS
Member ofDefence Acquisition Council
Defence Planning Committee
National Security Council
Reports to President of India
Prime Minister of India
Minister of Defence
Chief of Defence Staff
SeatIntegrated HQ of MoD (Army), South Block, Central Secretariat, New Delhi
AppointerAppointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
President of India
Term length3 years or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
Constituting instrumentArmy Act, 1950 (Act No. 46 of 1950)
PrecursorChief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army
Formation21 June 1948 (1948-06-21)
First holderGeneral Rob Lockhart
Deputy Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS)
Salary250,000 (US$3,000) monthly[1][2]

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Army (IA), the land forces branch of the Indian Armed Forces.[3] Customarily held by a four-star general officer, the COAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IA, tasked with the roles of overseeing the overall functioning of the force during peace and wartime, committing to the preparation and maintenance of the force's operational effectiveness and defending the nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty.[4]

Being a permanent member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and the National Security Council (NSC), the COAS also bears the responsibility of advising the nation's civilian leadership i.e., the Government of India on all matters privy to the IA.[5]

Statutorily, the COAS ranks 12th-overall in the Indian order of precedence, and is the IA's status-equivalent of the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff - all three positions of which are also occupied by four-star officers from the armed forces.[6]

  1. ^ "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. ^ Biswas, Shreya, ed. (29 June 2016). "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Chief of the Army Staff". indianarmy.nic.in.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sovereignty was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Privy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "PRESIDENT'S SECRETARIAT" (PDF). www.mha.gov.in. 26 July 1979.

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