CDS news, updates, discussions and reports

[FalconSlayers]

 

[The Shrike]

Hope this is the right thread. Article from Ajay Shukla on delays in CDS appointment and theatrization etc. Reads mostly like gossip but one can hardly defend the government given its inaction.

The missing CDS: The untimely demise of the first chief of defence staff has sent the issue of joint theatres back to the start line

www.ajaishukla.com

 

[The Shrike]

One more article on CDS and reforms, this time from HS Panag - wonder if something is afoot.

8 years back, Modi promised to transform India's military. Today, the plan is in disarray

A large number of standalone military reforms have been conceptualised but for inexplicable reasons have not been executed.

theprint.in

 

[Optimus]

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department

www.thehindu.com

 

[Optimus]

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department

www.thehindu.com

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department
The government is reassessing the concept of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to fix overlaps in the system and streamline the process due to which there has been a delay in the appointment of a new CDS, according to official sources.

“On higher military reforms, based on the experience so far, somewhere the government realised that appointment of CDS in itself wasn’t enough. There are lot of issues related to equivalence of status, responsibilities and so on. This made the government pause, look back and reassess the entire reform process,” one official said on condition of anonymity. “There is dichotomy at various ends that needs to be streamlined… various options are being looked at. Currently downside of appointing a CDS is more than not having one,” the official stated.
In December 2019, the government approved the creation of the post of CDS who would also function as the Principal Military Adviser to Defence Minister and Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC). In addition, the DMA was created as the fifth department in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with the CDS functioning as its Secretary.

The creation of DMA was unexpected, and it took time to settle down, the official said elaborating that initially and till now there are legacy issues of work distribution between DMA and the Department of Defence (DoD), headed by the Defence Secretary. “Coordination mechanisms are not standardised and accepted by both sides,” the official stated adding, Gen Bipin Rawat by his experience gave a direction to the process.

Gen. Rawat who served as the 26th Chief of Army Staff took over as the country’s first CDS on January 1, 2020. He, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 others were killed as the Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V5 helicopter, which was en route from Sulur to the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, crashed in the Nilgris in Tamil Nadu on December 08, 2021. The post of CDS has been lying vacant since.
The broad mandate given to the CDS includes bringing about jointness in “operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three Services, within three years of the first CDS assuming office.”

The gazette as well as the responsibilities are “ambitious”, two official sources noted. One of them stated that to finish the process of theatrisation in three years which were “overambitious”, lot of things were fast-tracked. “So, it did not get the support it needed from the Services and MoD.”
While additional studies are under way by the Services on the creation of integrated theatre commands, the theatrisation process has more or less stalled, the official said, adding that due to which there is a rethink on the need, modalities and timelines of the process and how to go about it.

On the dichotomy in responsibilities, officials said that currently the CDS does not have operational role but as the Chairman CoSC, the theatre commanders to be appointed in future are to report to him.

While several options are being looked at, one of the options would be to have a CDS with operational power who will after due legislative changes have theatre commanders report to him while the Service Chiefs will look after the raise, train and sustain functions of respective Services, the first official source stated.
In this direction, the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee would function as the Secretary DMA, which will also clear equivalence issues, two official sources stated. The government is reassessing the entire process, one of them added.

In March, Lt. Gen. Vinod G. Khandare (Retd.) was appointed as advisor in DoD working closely with the Defence Secretary. He retired from the Army during January 2018 as the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency and after that served as the Military Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) till October 2021.

As the adviser, Lt. Gen. Khandare is in effect fulfilling the role of single point military adviser to Defence Minister, one of the sources observed. The seniormost Service Chief has been officiating as the Charman CoSC, currently the Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari.

The mandate of the DMA includes promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services; facilitation of restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands and promoting use of indigenous equipment by the Services. The armed forces which were under the DoD were moved under the DMA after it was created.

 

[Srinie]

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department

Centre reassesses concept of Chief of Defence Staff post, Military Affairs Department

www.thehindu.com

Pushback by the babudom

 

[Jimih]

Hope this is the right thread. Article from Ajay Shukla on delays in CDS appointment and theatrization etc. Reads mostly like gossip but one can hardly defend the government given its inaction.

The missing CDS: The untimely demise of the first chief of defence staff has sent the issue of joint theatres back to the start line

www.ajaishukla.com

According to Shookla, Gen Naravane cant become CDS as he messed up the LAC conflict.

 

[Javelin_Sam]

Pushback by the babudom

Nothing from the babudom. Not when Dr. Ajay Kumar is defence secretary. This is the services, especially IAF, playing hardball. This CDS as "1st among equals" was not going to cut. Indian Armed Forces are extremely concervative and hierarchical in organizational setup. A CDS equal to that of Service Chiefs can never tame the Inter service turfwar and Intraservice roadblocks to theaterisation and atmanirbharata. CDS needs to be above the service chiefs-both in hierarchy and seniority.(both organizational and psychological reasons). Thats what PMO is going to correct now if the article is to be believed. Chairman of IDS as Secretary-DMA(vice CDS) equivalent to service chiefs and CDS above them. The CDS and others need to differ by atleast 1 batch in seniority from NDA.

 

[Javelin_Sam]

According to Shookla, Gen Naravane cant become CDS as he messed up the LAC conflict.

Except Shookla, Pravenn sawhny and Panang, everyone else will mess up

 

[gbarik5]

Nothing from the babudom. Not when Dr. Ajay Kumar is defence secretary. This is the services, especially IAF, playing hardball. This CDS as "1st among equals" was not going to cut. Indian Armed Forces are extremely concervative and hierarchical in organizational setup. A CDS equal to that of Service Chiefs can never tame the Inter service turfwar and Intraservice roadblocks to theaterisation and atmanirbharata. CDS needs to be above the service chiefs-both in hierarchy and seniority.(both organizational and psychological reasons). Thats what PMO is going to correct now if the article is to be believed. Chairman of IDS as Secretary-DMA(vice CDS) equivalent to service chiefs and CDS above them. The CDS and others need to differ by atleast 1 batch in seniority from NDA.

CDS should be the ultimate boss of Armed Forces. I hope that article is correct.

 

[gbarik5]

Centre seeks names of top officers from tri service for the post of Chief of Defence Staff

The Centre has asked for the names of senior serving and retired officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force. This comes amid the ongoing process of appointing the new Chief of Defence Staff.

www.indiatoday.in

 

[Jimih]

Centre seeks names of top officers from tri service for the post of Chief of Defence Staff

The Centre has asked for the names of senior serving and retired officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force. This comes amid the ongoing process of appointing the new Chief of Defence Staff.

www.indiatoday.in

Former CNS, ADM Karambir Singh might be the next CDS.

Guess work only.

 

[gbarik5]

Former CNS, ADM Karambir Singh might be the next CDS.

My guess only.

Why would they include three stars general?

 

[Indrajit]

Why would they include three stars general?

I think there is some talk about a former army commander being one of the choices. If only 4 stars officers were to be considered, the pool would be very small and since this is a 4 star post, no reason for 3 star officers to be left out. Just a promotion.

 

[gbarik5]

I think there is some talk about a former army commander being one of the choices. If only 4 stars officers were to be considered, the pool would be very small and since this is a 4 star post, no reason for 3 star officers to be left out. Just a promotion.

Got it. Thanks

 

[ObiWanKenobi]

In decreasing order of probablity (purely my opinion, which changes every day.

1. AM Balabhadra Radha Krishna (serving not retired, current vice chief of IDS, worked closely with Rawat, has technical and intellectual caliber to build a solid vision)

2. Lt Gen (Retd) Raj Shukla (again, rare intellectual caliber, has a broad vision for the armed forces, deep knowledge of other countries' systems just like Rawat, not a dinosaur who lives in the past which is rare for an Army officer - precisely the kind govt is looking for to bring about change).

3. Adm (Retd) Karambir Singh (only because of Bharat Karnad's rather sure sounding blog post, maybe govt. wants somebody from the navy to bypass turf war, I would assume it must be some insider whispers)

In the end, I'm guessing they will be meeting and screening around 5-7 names, definitely including all the above + some serving candidates.

 

[mist_consecutive]

You guys are speculating about the best candidate, the selected candidate will most probably be the person who will agree to be a "Yes man" for BJP

 

[Blademaster]

You guys are speculating about the best candidate, the selected candidate will most probably be the person who will agree to be a "Yes man" for BJP

I disagree. Where did you get that notion?

 

[Love Charger]

Or there might be none

 

[Dharmic_Crusader]

At this point... who even cares