Roles and Responsibilities of Chief of Defence Staff

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Tuesday approved the creation of a chief of defence staff (CDS), who will be the single-point military adviser to the government as suggested by the Kargil Review Committee in 1999, official sources said. The CCS also approved the report of a high-level committee, headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, which finalised responsibilities and the enabling framework for the CDS, they said.

Why India Needs Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)

• India should not have a fragmented approach.
• Our entire military power will have to work in unison. All the three (Services) should move simultaneously at the same pace. ·
• Changing nature of war and security environment;
• Government conscious of National Security challenges. ·
• Recognition to military expertise in department’s decision making.
• Breaking Silos: Integration, collaboration, convergence and rationalization.
• Meritocracy: Right person to do right job.

Context:

• Vajpayee- Victory at Kargil- lessons learnt (Kargil Committee/ GoM)- steps towards integration
• Vajpayee + – culmination of process started at that time.
• Also more integration and further enhancement of role to meet newer challenges. · Not mere creation of a post but institutional reforms to achieve national security aims.

Role and responsibilities of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)

1. Act as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on tri-Services matters. The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services;
2. CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs;
3. CDS will administer tri-services organisations. Their military command, will be with the Chief of the duly notified Service, which has a predominant role in effective functioning of that specific tri-service organization. However, Tri-services agencies/organizations/ commands related to Cyber and Space will be under the command of the CDS.
4. Provide integrated inputs of the Services to relevant authorities.
5. CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Planning Committee.
6. Bring about jointness in operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc. of the three Services within three years of the first CDS assuming office;
7. Ensure optimal utilization of infrastructure and rationalize it;
8. Enhance the share of indigenous equipment;
9. Evaluate plans for ‘Out of Area Contingencies’, as well other contingencies such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief;
10. 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);
11. Assign inter-Services prioritization to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget;
12. Integrate and rationalise international cooperation plans;
13. Prepare strategy papers on military matters for consideration of the competent authority;
14. Bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces. This may, inter-alia; entail rationalization of facilities. Use of indigenous equipment across the whole spectrum. He will identify and end obsolete practices, which may have crept in due to the colonial legacy.
15. Build trust and confidence in the rank and file.
16. Prepare for Raksha Mantri an empirical and objective Report on annual achievements in jointness during the year