An over enthusiastic article. The set up brings a 4-Star General down to the level of a Secretary. Earlier, the 4-Stars were only below the Cabinet Secretary in precedence. And the CDS becomes just one of the 8 reporting to the RM! What powers!!
Modi Govt has bitten the bullet in respect of long standing reform in Higher Direction of Defence Management. The creation of DMA as a Deptt of MoD is definitely a step in the right direction of integrating Military and Civil bureaucracy…the only jarring aspect being that the DMA should be headed by the VCDS with appropriate designation of ‘ VCDS & SECY DMA.
The CDS should have its own Sectt,with Maj Gen level Staff Officers from the three Services with appropriate staff plus his personal staff etc.
This will ensure that the Current level of Protocol between Secy level Civil bureaucracy and the Chief’s of Staff of the three Services as well as the proposed appointment of CDS( all being four star generals) is maintained.
Also the IDS should be subsumed by the proposed DMA..this will ensure that the CDS when appointed will be able to fulfill a plate full of Time bound tasks that he would be entrusted with , on the run.
Maj Gen Sudhir Chopra(Retd)
I think what Maj Gaurav Arya has suggested openly to the Hon’ble PM, as an ex- soldier and a citizen is worth a serious thought at every level. Any thing short of a single chain of command will be a shadow boxing with MOD and its status quoist attitude. Without finance, how and who will sanction funds for implementation of so called reforms?
The entrenched interests will not let go of their hold so easily. Now they have one more puppet on their string. Let us not go overboard by the creation of this post which has no authority structurally. He should have the rank of a five star general and status of a Cabinet Minister. Training acquision etc are all mere eyewash. The strangle hold of beurocracy in MoD , MoD Finance and MoF are not going to go away. It will be wishful thinking to assume that CDS can play mediator on the interse priority of the three wings. It is laughable that an Admiral can mediate on the training need of an Artillery unit firing Brhmos or a General on the need of training on a nuclear submarine. This experiment might not prove extremely costly for the troops during an actual conflict. Perhaps the beurocracy has one more puppet on its strings.
The author, whom I respect, is a little too enthusiastic. First, it took more than 6 months for the PM’s announcement to materialize. It will be recalled that there were tons of reports on the need to create a post of CDS. One has the impression that the mountain gave birth to a mouse. It would have been helpful if the author of the article had accompanied his article with the current MOD organizational chart. Readers could see that this creation does not reduce the weight of the administrative apparatus and therefore of the bureaucrats within this ministry. We could also see that this creation, despite the clarifications made on the skills of the CDS, seems to consolidate the operating mode in silos of this department. Much remains to be done for the CDS to be a real CDS and not just a person in charge of DMA. This supposes that in front of him there is a general secretariat in charge of the administration of the MOD, and a structure regrouping all the services of the MOD responsible for equipping the armies in a sovereign way, for preparing the future of the defense systems, and to support exports.
All military initiatives come to grief on the sinister rocks of bureaucratic stupidity and venality. Otherwise the MoD by itself would be enough. Even Bangladesh has an Armed Forces HQs directly under the PM.
This is a major long pending reform finally carried out by Modi. He deserves full praise for this. Now hopefully in next few years, we will have a streamlined, efficient, integrated armed forces deployed to defend our territories and sovereignty. It is also to be noted that functioning of DRDO also shows big improvement now along with focus on Make in India component. Modi has thus sorted out major issues relating to armed forces- starting from OROP, to DRDO functioning to Make in India to massive improvements infrastructure along the China border. This is in addition to what we achieved at Dhoklam, surgical strikes across the border and Balakot air strikes in Pakistan. Apart from this, our engagements with many armed forces around the world have increased and we have signed mutual support agreements with many navies around the world. Focus on IOR and our positioning in Quad also gives us a sense of security against China in Indian Ocean. Today we can truely pay homage to Vajpeyi and Gorge Fernandes as well as K Subramaniam who wrote the Kargil Report.
An over enthusiastic article. The set up brings a 4-Star General down to the level of a Secretary. Earlier, the 4-Stars were only below the Cabinet Secretary in precedence. And the CDS becomes just one of the 8 reporting to the RM! What powers!!
Modi Govt has bitten the bullet in respect of long standing reform in Higher Direction of Defence Management. The creation of DMA as a Deptt of MoD is definitely a step in the right direction of integrating Military and Civil bureaucracy…the only jarring aspect being that the DMA should be headed by the VCDS with appropriate designation of ‘ VCDS & SECY DMA.
The CDS should have its own Sectt,with Maj Gen level Staff Officers from the three Services with appropriate staff plus his personal staff etc.
This will ensure that the Current level of Protocol between Secy level Civil bureaucracy and the Chief’s of Staff of the three Services as well as the proposed appointment of CDS( all being four star generals) is maintained.
Also the IDS should be subsumed by the proposed DMA..this will ensure that the CDS when appointed will be able to fulfill a plate full of Time bound tasks that he would be entrusted with , on the run.
Maj Gen Sudhir Chopra(Retd)
I think what Maj Gaurav Arya has suggested openly to the Hon’ble PM, as an ex- soldier and a citizen is worth a serious thought at every level. Any thing short of a single chain of command will be a shadow boxing with MOD and its status quoist attitude. Without finance, how and who will sanction funds for implementation of so called reforms?
Name correction NNPasupathy. In my comment. Typo!
The entrenched interests will not let go of their hold so easily. Now they have one more puppet on their string. Let us not go overboard by the creation of this post which has no authority structurally. He should have the rank of a five star general and status of a Cabinet Minister. Training acquision etc are all mere eyewash. The strangle hold of beurocracy in MoD , MoD Finance and MoF are not going to go away. It will be wishful thinking to assume that CDS can play mediator on the interse priority of the three wings. It is laughable that an Admiral can mediate on the training need of an Artillery unit firing Brhmos or a General on the need of training on a nuclear submarine. This experiment might not prove extremely costly for the troops during an actual conflict. Perhaps the beurocracy has one more puppet on its strings.
The author, whom I respect, is a little too enthusiastic. First, it took more than 6 months for the PM’s announcement to materialize. It will be recalled that there were tons of reports on the need to create a post of CDS. One has the impression that the mountain gave birth to a mouse. It would have been helpful if the author of the article had accompanied his article with the current MOD organizational chart. Readers could see that this creation does not reduce the weight of the administrative apparatus and therefore of the bureaucrats within this ministry. We could also see that this creation, despite the clarifications made on the skills of the CDS, seems to consolidate the operating mode in silos of this department. Much remains to be done for the CDS to be a real CDS and not just a person in charge of DMA. This supposes that in front of him there is a general secretariat in charge of the administration of the MOD, and a structure regrouping all the services of the MOD responsible for equipping the armies in a sovereign way, for preparing the future of the defense systems, and to support exports.
All military initiatives come to grief on the sinister rocks of bureaucratic stupidity and venality. Otherwise the MoD by itself would be enough. Even Bangladesh has an Armed Forces HQs directly under the PM.
This is a major long pending reform finally carried out by Modi. He deserves full praise for this. Now hopefully in next few years, we will have a streamlined, efficient, integrated armed forces deployed to defend our territories and sovereignty. It is also to be noted that functioning of DRDO also shows big improvement now along with focus on Make in India component. Modi has thus sorted out major issues relating to armed forces- starting from OROP, to DRDO functioning to Make in India to massive improvements infrastructure along the China border. This is in addition to what we achieved at Dhoklam, surgical strikes across the border and Balakot air strikes in Pakistan. Apart from this, our engagements with many armed forces around the world have increased and we have signed mutual support agreements with many navies around the world. Focus on IOR and our positioning in Quad also gives us a sense of security against China in Indian Ocean. Today we can truely pay homage to Vajpeyi and Gorge Fernandes as well as K Subramaniam who wrote the Kargil Report.
Department of Military.
Name It Trident as like USA Pentagon