Chief of Defence Staff

Why in the News?

Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan(Retired) has been appointed as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

Key Points:

About

Chief of Defence Staff

• • Genesis: The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created in 2019 with the rank of a four-star General.
    • It came on the recommendations of a committee of defence experts headed by Lt General DB Shekatkar.
    • It was first suggested by the K. Subrahmanyam committee appointed after the Kargil conflict of 1999.
  • The CDS is first among equals with respect to the three Service Chiefs.
  • Eligibility: Any serving or retired Lieutenant General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral under the age of 62 years will be eligible for the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
  • Tenure: There is no tenure defined for the CDS unlike for Service Chiefs while the maximum age limit for the CDS is 65 years of age.

• Roles: 

• • To head the Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary.
  • To act as the Principal Military Advisor to Hon’ble Raksha Mantri on all Tri-Service matters.
  • To function as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
  • To be a member of the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri.
  • To ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and rationalise it through jointness among the Services.

Significance of CDS in India’s Security:

• India is a nuclear weapons state, the CDS will also act as the military advisor to the Prime Minister on nuclear issues.
• As the stress on resources increases and defence budgets remain flat, the way forward is the optimisation of resources by joint planning and training.
• Further, future wars become short, swift and network-centric, and coordination among the three services which will be brought by CDS is crucial.