The Chief Of Defence Staff With A New Shoulder Badges Of Rank
By
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Special Forces Veteran
Last time when an Indian General had relinquished his post of Commander -In Chief of the Indian Army and still continued to serve, he had not changed his badges of rank. The Chief of Army Staff, General Maharaj Rajendra Sinhji Jadeja continued to wear the badges of rank of a Full General from 01 April 1955 till retirement. However the overall Status of Chief of Army Staff, though still a full General had been lowered to a great extent.
In the Indian Army, our Army Commanders command a force much bigger in size than Armies of many major Countries. Even then they still hold the rank of a Lt Genera only inspite having under their Command three Lt Generals as Corps Commanders, two Lt Generals as Area Commanders and one Lt General as Chief of Staff. The badges of rank worn by all these Lt General have remained the same. The Armed Forces have no problem with this kind of thing within itself, as the Command hierarchy and status is clearly defined and understood by all ranks.
Problem started when the status of Lt General ( Corps Commander level ) which was above an Additional Secretary began to be degraded by the bureaucracy in a clever manner. An Inspector General used to head the State or Central Police Force. The post was upgraded to DGP, who started wearing a badges of the Post which mirrored the badges of rank of a Lt General. Soon there were several DGPs in each State.
Next came the Additional DGPs and again they began wearing the same badges of post as that of the DGP, thus equating themselves with Lt Generals. No wonder now DGPs began equating themselves with the Army Commander. Finally by sixth Pay Commission we had a HAG+ grade of pay with Lt Generals placed in a lower pay grade of HAG. Whereas all kinds of Class A Service Posts including those in IAS, IPS and IFS got placed in HAG + and even higher in the Apoex grade of Army Commanders / Secretary to Govt of India.
It was only after a long arduous battle that firstly a process was implemented where at any given time -1/3 of the serving Lt Generals got placed in HAG + pay grade, with vacancies due to retirement getting filled up by those next in seniority. Thus now all Lt Generals generally retire in HAG+ grade only. Also all those Lt Generals who get approved for the post of Army Commander but cannot be made one due to age or any other constraints get placed in Appex Pay Grade with same status.
As they say that we must learn from history and past experiences. Thus the Armed Forces have acted for a Change instead of waiting to react later on. The debate on creation of the post of Chief Of Defence Staff has been going on for years. Some say it had started in 1947 itself but definitely it had started after the 1971 War.However each time, Instead of focusing on its responsibility and work profile, it always got side stepped on rank and status.
Thus knowing that creation of any higher rank like that of Army General / Fleet Admiral / IAF Marshal for the post of CDS would be opposed tooth and nail by various vested elements and the post itself would continue to remain still born, the subject was not even taken up with the MoD or the Cabinet.
However taking cue from the fact that the creation of the Post of CDS was announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort by no less a person than the Prime Minister himself, General Rawat first relinquished his post of COAS. He then on being appointed the CDS just removed his shoulder badges of rank of a Full General and donned a new badges of rank created especially for the new post of CDS. The mistake of carrying on the same badges of rank for both the posts of Army Commander and Corps Commander was definitely not going to be repeated any more.
Being made a CDS is definitely a promotion for a Service Chief, no matter what others think or say. People can call him a General as the last rank held continues even after retirement. Any Politician, bureaucrat or even military personnel will be acing very foolish and just displaying his utmost bias and ignorance by trying to compare the creation of CDS badges to that of Saddam Hussein or Idi Amin or Adolf Hitler.
Here I am reminded of Major John Masters case during Second World War. He was the Brigade Major of the 111 Chindit Brigade when the Brigade was deployed and operating behind the Japanese line. Suddenly by a radio signal the Brigade Commander Brigadier Joe Lentaigne ( who later established the Indian tri Service Staff College at Ootty and was its commandant from 1948 to1955 and retired from Indian Army the same year as Lt General ) was asked to come back and take over the Chindit Force HQ in the rank of a Major General as General Wingate had been killed in a crash on 24 March 1944.
A light aircraft would be coming the next day to a given Coordinates to pick up the Brigadier. Masters then quickly made a brief of the situation and asked the commander to nominate the most suitable of the Commanding Officers as the Brigade Commander. To his surprise Masters himself was nominated as the officiating Brigade Commander and the Brigade GSO3 was promoted to Major and took over as the Brigade Major.. Now John Masters could not be commanding three Lt Colonels and still be wearing the rank of a Major. So What did he do ? He simply removed his badges of rank ( but had no time to design a new one ) and designated himself as the COMMANDER.
In the USA every member of the Joint Chiefs is a four Star officers and there are about another 15 or so other four star generals / Admirals as Commanders of Combatant Commands and others. In theory the Chain of Command flows from the Commander in Chief ( President ) to the Defence Minister( Secretary for Defence ) straight to the Commanders of Combatant Commands. However in practice every order / Communication from the President or the Secretary Defence flows only through Joint Chiefs. The things are so well established that need of a higher rank for the Chairman Joint Chiefs has not been felt for a long time. Though during the WW2 and its aftermath the Chairman was of 5 star rank which had to be created by the Congress to balance out with the Field Marshals/ Marshals of UK and Soviet Union. Those not knowing the Congress even created a Six Star rank and bestowed it and bestowed it on Late George Washington.
However in India things have to be established first that Chief of Defence Staff is the senior most military Commander who cannot be by passed in any manner by any one whatsoever. Vested interests have already started to confuse the issue by stating that the CDS also being the Secretary of Department of Military Affairs in the MoD, automatically becomes junior to the Defence Secretary. Well then such people should issue a signed statement that Shri Narendra Modi being the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; and also Minister of Department of Atomic Energy and Minister of Department of Space is junior in status to the Defence Minister and the Home Minister.
Some others are harping that since he is not wearing the Generals badges of rank he should not be called a General any more. Well then go ahead and address him as the CDS and after he retires then call him a General. Then there are others who say that technically CDS is not a rank so he be addressed as Mr Rawat. Well the Navy whether in UK or India or anywhere else had never been in doubt when addressing an officer holding the appointment of a Commodore, so why will any Servicemen will have any such doubts about the CDS. Though any one in the MoD showing any such doubts will have to be snubbed then and there.
Thus General Rawat, on being appointed as CDS, has rightly shed his Generals shoulder badges of the Rank, and has started wearing the newly created shoulder badges representing all three Services. He has to look different to all ranks of the three Services, to the MoD, the to the rest of the bureaucracy from the COAS who is also holding the Rank of a General.
Till the time the President as the Commander in Chief or the Prime Minister with his cabinet or the Parliament itself creates the new rank with constitutional provisions, the CDS must continue with the present tri Service Badge. Presently he remains in the same pay grade as that of the three Services Chiefs and the Cabinet Secretary but it needs to be reviewed because of the fact that the CDS has been specifically barred from holding any Government office after retirement. So while he is serving, he needs to be placed in a higher pay grade of 275000/- ( pay grade of Governor is 350000/- and that of Chief Justice of Supreme Court is 280000/-).
