DNA Edit: Finally A CDS - Coordination between defence services a must

India’s long standing resolve of establishing the crucial post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is finally bearing fruit. In his first Independence Day speech of his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government has decided to establish the post of CDS for the three services -- the Army, Navy and the Air Force.

The demand for a CDS has been raised on multiple occasions by experts and veterans. It was first recommended after the 1999 Kargil War. The post is aimed at ensuring better coordination between the three services. Consequent to the submission of the Kargil Review Committee report, a group of ministers (GoM) headed by then deputy Prime Minister L K Advani had analysed the functioning of the higher defence organisation in India.

Among the major recommendations of this GoM was establishment of the post of CDS with a tri-service joint planning staff HQ. The cabinet committee on security (CCS) accepted this recommendation, but held its implementation in abeyance. The two reasons cited for the deferment were the lack of political consensus on the need for a CDS and opposition within certain sections of the armed forces and the civil bureaucracy.

Later, the Naresh Chandra committee reportedly recommended the appointment of a ‘permanent’ chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), as the first among equals. It has often been claimed that the operational plans of the armed forces lack synergy. In 1962, the IAF was not given any role during the China war when it could have wreaked havoc on the Chinese hordes that had concentrated on the Tibetan Plateau without air cover. In 1965, the Indian Navy was not even informed about plans to launch a three-pronged attack across the international boundary (IB) into Pakistan.