Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calls the appointment of CDS a step towards 'jointmanship'

The BJP government on Tuesday announced that the country will be getting its first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Following the announcement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed the decision and spoke about the decision pertaining to the armed forces of India. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh termed the announcement as a historic decision which will enable higher defence management in the country. The Defence Minister also said that the government fulfilled its commitment.

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Rajnath Singh on Chief of Defence Staff

Rajnath Singh said that the appointed officer will oversee the jointmanship between the armed forces of the country. 

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In addition, the government has also said that a Department of Military Affairs, within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will also be created. The decision was earlier announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15 during his Independence Day speech. The appointed officer will be a four-star General who will be limited to the office of CDS and will not be eligible to hold any government office after demitting the office of CDS. 

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The responsibilities of the officer include creating a synergy in operations and procuring finances for the armed forces. Apart from this, the CDS is also expected to be a central point of contact between the armed forces and the government. The decision was announced by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar who stated that the officer will be selected from either the Army, the Air Force or the Navy. Javadekar further added that the officer will head the Department of Military Affairs. 

Responsibilities of the CDS

• The CDS will act as the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister of tri-service matters. The three chiefs will continue to advise the Raksha Mantri on matters exclusively concerning their specific service. 
• The officer is expected to provide integrated inputs of the services to relevant authorities. CDS will be a member of the Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Planning Committee.
• It is the CDS' responsibility to bring about joint-ness in operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs, and maintenance. 
• The appointed official is also expected to ensure optimal utilization of infrastructure and rationalize it, enhance the share of indigenous equipment. 
• His role requires the officer to evaluate plans for Out of Area Contingencies, as well as other contingencies such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
• The CDS will Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP), and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans (AAP), as a follow-up of the Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP), assign inter-services prioritization to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget. 
• The CDS will be responsible to integrate and rationalise international cooperation plans;  prepare strategy papers on military matters for consideration of the competent authority. 
• The CDS will bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces. This may, inter-alia; entail rationalization of facilities. Use of indigenous equipment across the whole spectrum. 
• It will be the responsibility of the CDS to identify and end obsolete practices, which may have crept in due to the colonial legacy. 

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