Why the post of Chief of Defence Staff is crucial for India

New Delhi, Aug 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will soon have a Chief of Defence Staff.

While previous governments were reluctant on creating such a position, this time around the Modi government decided to go in for a CDS as it would be a game changer. The CDS would be a one point reference for the Prime Minister in all security related matters, especially those concerning the military.

Modi said that in order to further better coordination between the forces, I want to announce that India will have a Chief of Defence Staff. This would ensure that the forces are more effective, Modi also said during his Independence Day speech.

The first time that the recommendation for this post was made was by the K Subrahmanyam Committee that was set up after the Kargil. Another committee headed by Naresh Chandra which was set up to suggest reforms in higher defence management had also suggested the importance of such a post. The committee however suggested that the post of a Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff be created.

The CDS would focus on coordination between the three service chiefs, when it comes to procurements, budgeting, logistics and training. The Army, Navy and IAF chief will however continue to have operational command of their respective forces.

Currently India has a post called Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee. However the functioning is not effective considering the manner in which it has been structured. The senior most among the three service chiefs is the CoSC.