Daily Current Affairs for 26th December 2019

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CDS will bring in synergy, say experts

Paper: GS III

Topic: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

For Prelims: Chief of Defence Staff

For Mains: Mandate and structure of the Chief of Defence Staff.

Why in News: Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four-star general.

About Chief of Defence Staff

It has taken 18 years and the long political trajectory from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Narendra Modi for the creation of the CDS.

In a landmark decision with tremendous reform in higher defence management in the country, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved to create:

  • The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is a post that will act as the single-point advisor to the Government of India.
  • The post of CDS in the rank of a four-star General with salary and perquisites equivalent to a Service Chief.
  • The Chief of Defence Staff will also head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), to be created within the Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary: while terming the creation of a new department, DMA, with the CDS at the helm and the dual roles as Secretary to Government of India and Permanent Chairman COSC as “very innovative.”

Background

  • This follows the announcement made by the Prime Minister on 15th August 2019, in his address to the nation.
  • The government has decided to establish the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for the three services -the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.
  • The demand for having a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has been raised on multiple occasions by experts and veterans. It was first recommended after the 1999 Kargil War.
  • The post is aimed at ensuring better coordination between the three services.
  • A high-level committee that was set up to examine the gaps in the country’s security system in the wake of the Kargil War had recommended that the three services should have a Chief of Defence Staff.
  • The committee had said, a five-star military officer should be the single-point military adviser to the Defence Minister.
  • Besides the high-level committee on Kargil War, a group of ministers that was formed in 2001 to explore necessary reforms required to improve India’s national security had also favoured creating the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
  • In 2012, the Naresh Chandra Task Force recommended that post of a permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) should be created.
  • The CoSC comprises chiefs of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The senior-most among them would act as the chairman.

Functions and mandate of the CDS

  • The Chief of Defence Staff, apart from being the head of the Department of Military Affairs(DMA), will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
  • He will act as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-Services matters.
  • The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services.
  • 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.
  • “Wearing two hats, he will also be functioning as a Secretary in the MoD that already has four Secretaries. Evolving a stable hierarchy and equivalence for the CDS with the civilian bureaucracy will call for some deft give and take by all the principal stakeholders,”

The following areas will be dealt with by the Department of Military Affairs headed by CDS:

  1. The Armed Forces of the Union, namely, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
  2. Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence comprising Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters.
  3. The Territorial Army.
  4. Works relating to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
  5. Procurement exclusive to the Services except capital acquisitions, as per prevalent rules and procedures.

Apart from the above, the mandate of the Department of Military Affairs will include the following areas:

  1. Promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.
  2. Facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.
  3. Promoting the use of indigenous equipment by the Services.

As the Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, CDS will perform the following functions:

  1. CDS will administer tri-services organisations:

Tri-service agencies/organisations/commands related to Cyber and Space will be under the command of the CDS.

  1. CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Raksha Mantri and Defence Planning Committee chaired by NSA.
  2. Function as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.
  3. Bring about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc of the three Services, within three years of the first CDS assuming office.
  4. Ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and rationalise it through jointness among the services.
  5. Implement Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP), and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans (AAP), as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP).
  6. Assign inter-Services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget.
  • Reduce wasteful expenditure: Bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.
  • Fostering joint-manship: It is expected that this reform in the Higher Defence Management would enable the Armed Forces to implement coordinated defence doctrines and procedures and go a long way in fostering joint-manship among the three Services. The country would be benefitted by coordinated action on greater joint-manship in training, logistics and operations as well as for prioritisation of procurements.

CDS should consider the following areas:

  • The CDS should consolidate the headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and the charter and has to carry the three Services along as the first among equals and ensure that the DMA is keyed into the apex decision making level.
  • Theatre commands: On the reorganisation of the military into theatre commands, the transition, acceptability and execution will take time. Theatre commands will follow but the first priority is the relevance and the consolidation of the mandate and authority of the CDS.
  • Operational aspect: As ex officio secretary he has financial powers. Optimal utilisation of financial resources is the top priority. On the possible limitations in the charter of the CDS, the whole operational aspect has been left out. If he is somewhere in the operational planning loop, he can advise in the time of crisis. May be over a period of time he should be given more responsibilities in operations.
  • There should be good coordination and it should be relevant to the hope and aspirations of our people.
  • It should be in line with the changing war and security environment with the world.

Way Forward:

  • The government’s approval for the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is a welcome move to bring in synergy among the three Services at the higher level and optimise resource utilisation.
  • However, it needs a change in the mindset of all stakeholders and the CDS has to take the three Service Chiefs along to achieve the mandate.
  • After the formation of this post (CDS), all the three forces will get effective leadership at the top level.
  • The CDS has to ensure the transition of the Indian military from a military force into a military power.

 

 

 

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