Bipin Rawat was born in Pauri town of Pauri Garhwal district, present-day Uttarakhand state, on 16 March 1958.His family had been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations. His father Lakshman Singh Rawat (1930–2015) was from Sainj village of the Pauri Garhwal district; commissioned into 11 Gorkha Rifles in 1951, he retired as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff in 1988 as a Lieutenant General. His mother was from the Uttarkashi district and was the daughter of Kishan Singh Parmar, the ex-Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttarkashi.

Days after the government announced the creation of the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) post, retiring Army chief, General Bipin Rawat, was appointed the first tri-service chief with effect from December 31, 2019. General Rawat was the first sitting Chief of Army Staff to be appointed to the top post. The government had initially amended Army rules to extend the age of superannuation from 62 years to 65 years, paving the way for the appointment. The CDS is a one-point advisor to the government on matters related to the military and will function with the main aim of integrating the three services — Army, Navy and the Air Force. CDS would also be the permanent Chief of Staff Committee (COSC).

General Bipin Rawat had taken over the reins of the Indian Army from General Dalbir Singh Suhag on December 17, 2016, as the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

On December 8, 2021, the 63-year-old’s life was cut short after a tragic chopper crash in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu in which Rawat, his wife and 11 others were on board the ill-fated helicopter.

Born in Pauri, Uttarakhand, on March 16, 1958, his family had been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations. His father, Laxman Singh Rawat was from Sainj village of the Pauri Garhwal district and rose to the rank of Lt General.

An alumnus of the National Defense Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Rawat was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978 in the same unit as his father, the fifth battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles. The first CDS is a veteran of counterinsurgency warfare and has served in some of the most difficult terrains of India, including the northern and eastern commands.

During his 43-years in service, Rawat 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 was also a part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and has commanded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rawat became the Vice-Chief of Army Staff before becoming the fourth officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the COAS.
He was instrumental in reducing militancy in the Northeast, with one of the highlights of his career being the 2015 cross-border operation into Myanmar in which the Indian Army successfully responded to an ambush by NSCN-K militants. The mission was conducted from the operation command of Dimapur-based III Corps under Rawat’s supervision.

He was also part of the planning for the 2016 surgical strikes, in which the Indian Army went across the Line of Control into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rawat, it was reported, was monitoring the developments from South Block in New Delhi.

During his service, General Rawat had been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, and Sena Medal.

In the Indian Army

• Second Lieutenant (16 December 1978)
• Lieutenant (16 December 1980)
• Captain (31 July 1984)
• Major (16 December 1989)
• Lieutenant Colonel (1 June 1998)
• Colonel (1 August 2003)
• Brigadier (1 October 2007)
• Major General (20 October 2011)
• Lieutenant General (1 June 2014)
• General (COAS) (1 January 2017)

In the Indian armed forces (tri-services)

• General (CDS) (31 December 2019)

Medals & Award

• Param Vishisht Seva Medal
• Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
• Yudh Seva Medal
• Sena Medal
• Vishisht Seva Medal
• Wound Medal
• Samanya Seva Medal
• Special Service Medal
• Operation Parakram Medal
• Sainya Seva Medal
• High Altitude Service Medal
• Videsh Sewa Medal
• 50TH Anniversary of Independence Medal
• 30 Years Long Service Medal
• 20 Years Long Service Medal
• MONUSCO

Award

• Padma Vibhushan (Civil Service) in 2022