Chief of the Army Staff (India)

The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication, and usually held by a 4-star officer in the rank of General.

The current COAS is General Bikram Singh, who took office on 31 May 2012.

Office of the Chief of the Army Staff
The office of the Chief of the Army Staff was created through The Commanders-In-Chiefs (Change in Designation) Act of the Indian Parliament in 1955. It replaced the erstwhile office of the Commander-in-Chief, Army. The office is based at South Block of the Central Secretariat at Raisina Hill, New Delhi.

Appointments to the office are made by the President of India. The COAS reaches superannuation upon three years in the office or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.

Appointees
The following table chronicles the appointees to the office of the Chief of the Army Staff or its preceding positions since the independence of India.