New Delhi: Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Tuesday approved the creation of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who will be a single-point military advisor to the government. The CDS has been mandated to bring synergy among Army, Air Force and Navy in procurement, training and war doctrine for making India ready for future wars.
The CDS will function as military adviser to the Prime Minister-led Nuclear Command Authority, which is responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding India’s nuclear weapons’ programme.
The Chief of Defence Staff will be the principal military adviser to the defence minister on issues of tri-services involving army, navy and air force. The chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force will continue to advise defence minister on matters exclusively concerning their respective services.
The CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three service chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership.
The CDS will be a four-star general like chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, but will be “first among equals”. The CDS will be the permanent chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, which has three service chiefs as members.
The person will head the department of military affairs to be created within the defence ministry and function as its secretary. The person will have salary and perks of a service chief.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet is expected to shortly announce the name of India’s first CDS. The current Army chief Bipin Rawat is seen as the front-runner for the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
The most crucial function of CDS will be to assign inter-services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals of Army, Navy and Air Force based on the anticipated budget and work towards reducing wasteful expenditure.
The CDS will enable the armed forces to implement coordinated defence doctrines and procedures, and foster jointmanship among the three services.
The Chief of Defence Staff will implement the five-year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP) and two-year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans, as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan.
The CDS will facilitate restructuring of military commands by integrating land-air-sea operations to create new theatre commands for effective military response in case of hostilities. Andaman and Nicobar Command is the only tri-service theatre command of the Indian armed forces based at Port Blair.
The tri-services agency command related to cyber and space will be under the command of CDS.
The Chief of Defence Staff will be a member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by defence minister and Defence Planning Committee chaired by the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced creation of Chief of Defence Staff post in his Independence Speech. The creation of CDS is seen as the major militarily reform, which comes nearly two decades after the Kargil Review Committee recommended it.
