The Chief of Defence Staff will have salary equivalent to Service Chiefs and will function as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs.
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved setting up of Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence to be headed by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) having the rank of a 4-Star General.
The Chief of Defence Staff will have salary equivalent to Service Chiefs and will function as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs.
According to government sources, outgoing Army Chief General Bipin Rawat is likely to be named the first CDS. Gen Rawat is due for retirement on December 31.
The Cabinet has also defined the role and responsibilities of the CDS.
Department of Military Affairs
The CDS will head the Department of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Defence as its Secretary.
As per the proposal approved by the Cabinet, work exclusively pertaining to Military matters will fall within the purview of the Department of Military Affairs, while the Department of Defence will deal with larger issues pertaining to the defence of the country.
The Armed Forces will fall under the ambit of the Department of Military Affairs which will have appropriate expertise to manage
military affairs.
The department will have an appropriate mix of civilian and military officers, at every level. The department will promote jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services.
It will also facilitate the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through the establishment of joint/ theatre commands.
Its role will also include promoting the use of indigenous equipment by the Services.
In their second role, the CDS will be the permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and will be supported by the Integrated Defence Staff in this role.
Role and responsibilities of Chief of Defence Staff
- Act as the Principal Military Adviser to Defence Minister on tri-Services matters. The three Chiefs will continue to advise the Defence Minister on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services.
- CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs.
- 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.
- Provide integrated inputs of the Services to relevant authorities. CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Planning Committee.
- 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.
- Ensure optimal utilization of infrastructure and rationalize it.
- Enhance the share of indigenous equipment.
- Evaluate plans for'Out of Area Contingencies', as well other contingencies such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
- Implement a 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).
- Assign inter-Services prioritization to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget.
- Integrate and rationalise international cooperation plans.
- Prepare strategy papers on military matters for consideration of the competent authority.
- 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.
- Build trust and confidence in the rank and file.
- Prepare for Raksha Mantri an empirical and objective Report on annual achievements in jointness during the year.
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