DOES INDIA REQUIRE A CDS?

The delay in appointing a successor to late Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, has given rise to many questions, writes VENUGOPAL MENON

- VENUGOPAL MENON

The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian armed forces (CDS) is the military head and permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian armed forces. He is the highest-ranking uniformed officer on active duty in the Indian military and chief military adviser to the Minister of Defence. The Chief also heads the Department of Military Affairs.

It was from the ramparts of red fort that the announcement of the post of Chief of Defence staff was announced with much fan and glory by Prime minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day in 2019. The question remains as to why was the delay in this announcement by successive governments for last two decades although the Kargil Review Committee made its recommendations in 2000-01? The answer could be that they were wise or unwise in assessing whether the post is warranted or not and the most pragmatic course of action was to keep it in the backburner. It is also understood that a Chief of Defence Staff was nearly chosen in 2001 by the government of the day who did not implement it due to lack of political consensus and the apprehension of the services to go ahead with the concept. However, the scenario changed in 2019 with a weak opposition and the government in power had the opportunity to implement a long pending decision to project its image and an election agenda. Surprisingly they had the support of many established veterans and thinktanks in India who sang the chorus.