IMPORTANT-INDIAN PM MODI JI WELCOME CDS-Chief of Defence Staff|INDIA UPDATES|PM NARENDRA MODI JI
Channel: KNOWLEDGE INFO
Date: 2020-05-03

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional service chief, head of the Indian Armed Forces, the senior-most uniformed military adviser to the Government of India,[2] and ex-officio Secretary to the Government of India and the head of Department of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Defence.[3][4][5]

The position was first officially suggested in 1999 following the Kargil War through the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee.[6][7] Although a long-talked-about position in India,[8][9] the official call was made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2019 at Red Fort, New Delhi.[10][11] On 24 December 2019, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) formally announced the creation of the position, a four-star general, a tri-service chief, that shall lead the defence forces.[3][4]

It is considered that the Chief of Defence Staff is a critical position in today's era of hybrid warfare, and will help increase jointmanship, tri-service effectiveness and overall combat capabilities of India.[12] It is speculated that the civil service Defence Secretary will be the main "defence" advisor, whilst the CDS will assume the role of being the main "military" advisory, acting as the single-point military advisor to the government and Prime Minister.[a][14] India was the only large democracy which did not have a single point military advisor; with all P5 countries having one.[15]

General Bipin Rawat took over as the first CDS on 1 January 2020. He will serve a full three-year term till December 2022.

The idea of creation of such a post goes back to as early Lord Mountbatten. General K. V. Krishna Rao advanced creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in June 1982.[18] However, officially, it was only following the Kargil Review Committee's recommendation in 1999 that the Group of Ministers (GoM) officially proposed the creation of the post of CDS in 2001.[7] Following committees, including the Naresh Chandra task force in 2012 and the Lieutenant General D. B. Shekatkar Committee in 2016, also proposed their own versions of a CDS.[19] The process of consulting all parties involved began in 2006. In 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Security started the process of making the final decision related to the creation of a post for the CDS.[20][21][22] The post of Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee (Chairman-COSC) had been formed as a precursor to the post of CDS, responsible for the national military strategy.[23]



 the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff to replace the post of Chief of Integrated Defence Staff. The CDS would head a newly-created Department of Military Affairs (DMA), under the Ministry of Defence, as its secretary. Apart from heading the DMA, the CDS will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PC-CoSC). He will also be the Principal Military Adviser to the Minister of Defence.[27]

As the Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, CDS will perform the following functions:[29]

The Chief of Defence Staff is described by officials as the "first among equals" among service chiefs.
The CDS will be tasked with trimming weapons procurement procedures and integrating operations of the Indian armed forces- Army, Air Force and Navy.
Apart from being the military advisor for the government, the CDS will also head the Department of Military Affairs.
The CDS will have the authority to direct the service chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force and will also have the authority to create theatre commands as and when needed.[30][31][32]
Command tri-service agencies, organisations, and commands including those related to cyber and space.
CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the Minister of Defence and Defence Planning Committee chaired by the National Security Advisor.
Function as the Military Advisor to the Nuclear Command Authority.
Bring about jointness and ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure in the three Services.
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).
Bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.
Assign inter-Services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals.[29]
The CDS's salary and perquisites will be same as the service chiefs. The CDS will come under the Right to Information Act.[33]