Here Comes The First Chief Of Defence Staff Of India
By
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Special Forces Veteran
The post of Chief of Defence Staff has finally been created by the Cabinet. This was most essential for institutionalizing the Higher Defence Management of the Armed Forces of India. This was a pre requisite for eliminating the existing fractured approach and establish an integrated fully synergized tri services fighting capability to deal with any futuristic War.
CDS becomes essential for promoting and enforcing jointmanship in training, logistics and finally operations and also evolve a joint defence doctrine. The defence budget will now be able to provide the maximum bang for the buck by prioritization of procurement and elimination of wasteful expenditures.
As CDS, he will be the Single point Military Advisor to the Nuclear Command Authority, member of the Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Planning Committee.
The CDS as the Permanent Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee will be the Principal Military Advisor to the Raksha Mantri, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet ( though each chief retains the advisory role with respect to his own service ). He will administer all the tri services commands / Agencies and organizations through the HQ IDS. Within a given time frame the PCCOSC will ensure jointness in operations, training, logistics, communications, support services and repairs and maintenance of the three Services. PCCOSC will start making an Integrated Capability Development Plan and implement it through a two year Roll on Annual Acquisition Plan as part of Five year Defence Acquisition Plan. Based on the planned Budget The PCCOSC will also assign priority to Capital Acquisition.
The CDS as the Secretary, Department of Military Affairs will be head of the Department. The DMA will deal with matters Operational, training, logistics and Operational Works of HQ IDS, HQ Army, HQ Navy, HQ Air Force, HQ Coast Guard, Territorial Army. The DMA will also be dealing with all Services procurement less Capital Acquisition in a joint manner. The DMA will also ensure and promote joint staffing, planning and training with aim to bringing jointness in Operations, promoting indigenization and finally lead to establishment of joint / theatre commands. Thus the DMA will actually be making the Armed Forces a part of the Government instead till now dealing with them like attached offices of the MoD.
The CDS will be a four star General at the level 18 of the Pay Matrix ie 250000/— pm that is the Cabinet Secretary and the three Services Chiefs. In the table of Precedence he should be placed at serial 11 along with the Attorney General and the Cabinet Secretary. The three Service Chiefs are at Serial 12.
Once the DMA becomes fully functional then following will be required :
• Creation of another 4 Star post of Vice Chief of Defence Staff to head the HQ IDS and command the integrated Commands / Agencies.
• Amendment of the Business Rules of The Government of India to make CDS responsible for defence of India.
• Making CDS the head of the Defence Planning Committee.
• Creation of a post of Scientific Advisor to the CDS.
India’s first-ever Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat has now officially taken over the charge. After taking over, Rawat said that the task of the CDS is to achieve jointness thorough integration and synergy. All the three services-Army, Navy and Air Force will work together as a team.
Economical use of resources will be ensured and there will focus on integration, uniform procurement procedure and joint training. He has rightly made it clear that the Indian Military will not copy the USA System of joint theatre command instead will come out with its own policy.
A new secretariat has been readied in the South Block for the new CDS and the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) which earlier reported to the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee will now work under him, as the CDS is now the permanent Chairman. The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff — Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar will now hold the position of Deputy CDS.
A new Department of Military Affairs will also be set up under the CDS in South Block. It will be interesting to see how it comes up. A few existing Sections / branches of Department of Defence will certainly be shifted around and manned afresh with mix of Military and civil.
Gen Rawat demitted office as Army Chief on Dec 31, and as CDS has replaced his Gorkha hat that he wore for 42 years with a peaked cap. This cap for the CDS has a new design with a maroon coloured band around this olive green cap. The cap badge on the cap depicts the integration of the three Services, with two swords of the Army, the anchor of the navy, and the wing of the Air Force along with the Ashoka Emblem ……ie resembles the Badge of the National Defence Academy but covered with oak leaves.
The CDS also has a new flag though his uniform will be of the parent service. It has been clarified that the uniform will of the parent service—which means that if the officer is from the Army, he will wear his army uniform and in the same way, if the officer is from either navy or air force, they will wear their service uniform.
However though CDS is not a rank but just an appointment, surprisingly a new badges of rank has also been designed. Thus the uniform will have a different type of badge on its shoulders and belt. The epaulets will be maroon in colour on which the rank badges will be the is a tri-service badge with oak leaves and an Ashoka Emblem to the right of it.
The flag of CDS will also be maroon coloured with a tricolour on the side and a logo of Tri-service on one side.
