Inter-Services Organisation Bill: As support grows for the proposed restructuring of the Indian military into integrated theatre commands, the Lok Sabha passed the Inter-Services Organisation Bill (Command, Control, and Discipline), 2023 on Friday (August 4).
Lok Sabha Passes Inter-Services Organisation Bill
When introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described it as part of the government’s sequence of military reforms aimed at empowering the nation. He described the Bill as an essential step towards greater integration and jointness across the Armed Forces in order to meet future challenges together.
Inter-Services Organisation Bill: Aim of the Bill
It aims to give the Commander-in-Chief and Officer-in-Command of Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs) full disciplinary and administrative authority over the people serving in or connected to such organisations, according to a Defence Ministry statement.
“The Bill empowers the Central Government to establish an Inter-Services Organisation,” the Ministry stated as one of the Bill’s key elements. In this regard, the Bill serves as a prelude to the military’s reorganisation into integrated theatre commands, on which there is now agreement for the formation of two land-based intergraded commands and one sea theatre command.
Armed forces personnel are currently governed by the provisions of their individual Service Acts – The Army Act of 1950, The Navy Act of 1957, and The Air Force Act of 1950. “The Bill’s enactment will have various tangible benefits such as the Heads of ISOs maintaining effective discipline in inter-services establishments, no requirement of reverting personnel under disciplinary proceedings to their parent Service units, expeditious disposal of cases of misbehaviour or indiscipline, and saving of public money and time by avoiding multiple proceedings,” the Ministry said.
The Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on March 15, 2023, and the Speaker referred it to the Standing Committee on Defence for study and report on April 24, 2023. On May 29, 2023, the committee heard oral testimony from officials of the Ministry of Defence on the Bill, after which the draught report was discussed and endorsed by the Standing Committee on July 20, 2023.
Inter-Services Organisation Bill: ‘Enabling Act’
According to the Ministry, the ‘ISO Bill-2023’ is simply an ‘enabling Act,’ and it does not propose any changes to the existing Service Acts/Rules/Regulations, which have been time-tested and have withstood legal scrutiny for the previous six decades or more.
The Ministry also noted that the Bill will open the way for far greater integration and jointness among the three Services, as well as establish a strong foundation for the creation of Joint Structures in the future and further strengthen the armed forces operation.
Inter-Services Organisation Bill: Applicable to all Defence Personnel
The Ministry stated that the ‘ISO Bill-2023’ shall apply to all personnel of the regular Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as persons of other forces as notified by the Central government, who are serving in or attached to an Inter-Services Organisation.
Reforms in the Defence Sector
The position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was created in 2019 as part of high-level military reforms, with the purpose of maintaining the “jointness” of the three services in operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs, and maintenance.
The proposed reform of the armed forces into integrated theatre commands is the CDS’s top goal. The attempt was hindered by the death of the 1st CDS General Bipin Rawat, followed by a delay in the choice of his successor, due to a lack of unanimity among the Services. With General Anil Chauhan taking over as the second CDS, the delayed process was restarted and is now in its advanced phases.
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