Chief of Defence Staff or NSA: A Bone of Contention in India’s Strategic Affairs

New Delhi: The post of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as recommended in the Kargil Review Committee report, as a single-point advisor to the political establishment on military issues is yet to become a reality. The CDS, with a tri-service joint planning staff headquarter, had been mooted to manage and improve communication between the three military services on the one hand and the government on the other.

Experts are of the opinion that all three armed forces in India push their own management in communicating directly — and separately — with the Defence Minister or the Prime Minister of the country without any central point to coordinate among them. It is a matter of general belief that the need for a CDS has been done away with after the inception of the post of a National Security Adviser (NSA) in the year 1998. The NSA works at the discretion of the Prime Minister of the country whom it advises on matters of both external and internal threats.

There is another school of thought that believes that the post of a CDS has not been created because those in positions of power do not want their own powers to be diluted. This school also believes that the CDS is feared by all ruling establishments that can grow into another “power centre” and has not been created yet due to political resistance.

Retired Lieutenant General Harcharanjit Singh Panag, former GoC-in-C of the Indian Army’s Central and Northern commands, told IANS such fears of the CDS becoming an all powerful post are unfounded.

“In India the armed forces are firmly under government control. The government can remove the naval chief at its will or allow supercession in promotion. On the other hand, the National Security Adviser has become all powerful and acts like the de facto chief of defence staff. He also heads the Defence Planning Committee,” said Panag.

The Defence Planning Committee (DPC) was created by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre in April 2018 with objectives including implementation of military and security strategy in the country, drafting of capability development plans, to accelerate procurement and acquisition of defence equipment and to boost the defence manufacturing system in the country. (IANS)

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