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Chief of Defence Staff (India)

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The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is the principal military authority and senior-most appointment of the Indian Armed Forces.[4] Deemed the overall professional head of India’s three armed services, namely, the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the CDS is the highest-ranking military officer in service, responsible for overseeing inter-service jointness across all disciplines related to military functioning.[5] Primarily, the office operates on a status of primus inter pares i.e., first among equals with the chiefs of the three services, and functions as the Permanent-Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) – the inter-service syndicate responsible for ensuring the establishment and preservation of military integration.[6]

Chief of Defence Staff
Flag of the Chief of Defence Staff
since 30 September 2022
Indian Armed Forces
TypeChief of defence
StatusOverall professional head of the Indian Armed Forces.
AbbreviationCDS
Member of
Reports to President of India
Prime Minister of India
Minister of Defence
SeatSouth Block, Secretariat Building, New Delhi
AppointerAppointments Committee of the Cabinet
President of India
Term lengthNo fixed duration, only from appointment till the age of 65.[1]
Formation1 January 2020; 4 years ago (2020-01-01)
First holderGeneral Bipin Rawat
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC
Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC)
Salary₹250,000 (US$3,000) monthly[2][3]
WebsiteOfficial website

Statutorily, the CDS is the presiding secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, the civil-cum-military entity responsible for fostering professional coordination between the services, and by extension, is also the principal military advisor to the nation’s civilian leadership i.e., the Ministry of Defence on affairs privy to inter-service integration; as such, the office exists primarily as an advisor and adjudicator position, endowed with no operational command control.[7]

Since its formal creation in 2020, the CDS is officiated on a rotational basis by four-star officers nominated from either of the three services.[6] Domestically, the office ranks 12th-overall in the Indian order of precedence, and is the status-equivalent of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff; internationally, it is identical to the United Kingdom's Chief of the Defence Staff with similar functions to Pakistan's Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.[8][9]

Description

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The South Block, Central Secretariat, New Delhi - where the CDS is seated.

Mandate

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As the principal military authority of the Indian Armed Forces, the CDS bears responsibility for overseeing two distinct bodies, namely, the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA).[10]

Chiefs of Staff Committee

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The COSC is an inter-service syndicate of the armed forces, which functions as a principal advisory body dealing with matters related to inter-service coordination, policy formulation and strategy development. It comprises the chiefs of the three armed services, in addition to the CDS - who acts as its Permanent Chairman, responsible for the following duties:[10]

  • Acting as the principal military advisor to the Minister of Defence on all affairs related to inter-service integration, coherence and functioning.[7]
  • Participating as a member of the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Minister of Defence and Defence Planning Committee chaired by National Security Advisor.[10]
  • Exercising command authority over specific inter-service organizations/agencies/commands, namely, the Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA), the Defence Space Agency and the Armed Forces Special Operations Division vis-à-vis the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS).[11]
  • Functioning as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.[10]
  • Ensuring jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three armed services.[10][11]
  • Assigning inter-service prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget. and Ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and rationalise it through jointness amongst the services.[10]
  • Implementing Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans, as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan.[10]

Department of Military Affairs

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The DMA is one of the five departments within the Ministry of Defence, which functions as a joint civilian-cum-military syndicate tasked with overseeing administrative duties related to the headquarters of the three armed services, the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) plus the Territorial Army, and procurement initiatives except for capital acquisitions.[12] Herein, the CDS acts as the department's ex-officio Secretary, responsible for the following duties:[10]

  • Answering Parliament on all affairs exclusively related to the armed forces.[12]
  • Facilitating the restructuring of service-specific military commands to ensure the optimal utilization of resources by fostering jointness in operations, principally through the establishment of joint-service theatre commands.[10]
  • Promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the three armed services through joint-planning and integration of their respective requirements.[10]

Ambiguities

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Although the CDS is recognized as the principal authority in the armed forces, the office has been noted to have several ambiguities as to its perceived powers and roles:

  • The Ministry of Defence is categorized into five departments, of which the Defence Secretary heads the Department of Defence whilst the CDS heads the Department of Military Affairs. However, the Cabinet Secretariat – Manual of Office Procedures, from which the Defence Secretary's powers are derived, states that the office "is the principal adviser of the Minister on all matters of policy and administration within his Ministry/Department, and his responsibility is complete and undivided";[citation needed] thus, the manual would have indicated the Defence Secretary the officer responsible for the Ministry of Defence's five departments, including the Department of Military Affairs, which obscures the clarity of the powers held by the CDS.[13]
  • The mandate for defence of India lies with the Department of Defence but procurement initiatives except capital acquisitions lies with CDS-led Department of Military Affairs; this gives birth to a dichotomy where on one hand CDS is expected to prioritise the expenditure between the three services but the wherewithal still lies with the Defence Secretary.[14]

Promotion

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General Bipin Rawat, second-from-right, along with the three service chiefs in January 2020; his later acting successor, General M. M. Naravane, is seen far-left.

Since its creation in January 2020, the office of CDS has customarily been held by a four-star officer from the three armed services, specifically, either a general, admiral or air chief marshal.[6][15] The move to appoint a designate to the office is initiated by the Ministry of Defence, wherein the résumés of candidates recommended by the armed services are submitted for intense review, before being sent to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet - comprising the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, whereupon the appointment is finalized.[16]

Notably, at the time of the office's creation, no fixed structure for an order of succession existed; thus, in the formative period of the office's existence, the senior-most service chief was recommended for appointment; the first instance of this was General Bipin Rawat, then the Chief of the Army Staff and senior-most amongst the three chiefs.[16][17] However, Rawat's unexpected death in 2021 whilst in tenure exposed this flaw, which consequently left the office of CDS vacant for nine months before a successor. Accordingly, in June 2022, the Ministry of Defence established a permanent set of appointment-cum-succession rules, stating that four-star and three-star officers from the armed services, notwithstanding their states of being active or retired, would be deemed eligible candidates to be appointed, provided they hadn't attained the age of 62 at the time of appointment.[18]

As of 2022, the appointment regulations for CDS, whilst same for the three services, are classified distinctively, namely:

  • Indian Army: Army (Amendment) Rules, 2022[18]
  • Indian Navy: Naval Ceremonial, Conditions of Service and Miscellaneous (Amendment) Regulations, 2022[18]
  • Indian Air Force: Air Force (Amendment) Regulations, 2022[18]

The first time the regulations were actively exercised was in the appointment of Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan in September 2022; Chauhan, a former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Army who had retired in May 2021, was promptly recalled to active service and promoted to general.[19][20]

Tenure

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Under an initial set of regulations established by the Ministry of Defence in December 2019,[21] the service chiefs from the three services, namely, the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff, having completed their mandated three-year tenure or having attained the age of 62, were deemed eligible to be appointed CDS, with the chosen designate tenuring the office to the maximum deemed age of 65; unlike the service chiefs, the CDS has no fixed tenure, but only an upper age limit.[21] The aforementioned 2022 regulations expanded the office's reach, allowing both active and retired officers to occupy the office until the age of 65.[18]

Previously, in the event of an abrupt stoppage during the incumbent's tenure - by termination, resignation or sudden demise, the senior-most service chief was made acting-COSC and by extension, an ex officio-CDS until a suitable successor was appointed; this situation has occurred only once, when General Manoj Mukund Naravane, then-Chief of the Army Staff, was made acting-COSC upon the death of General Rawat, the then-incumbent CDS.[22]

Insignia

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Command flag

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The office of CDS maintains a separate command flag, regardless of the incumbent appointee's parent service, symbolizing the independence of the position and its associated authority from the armed services.[23] The flag comprising a maroon field - representing the inter-service jointness, furnished with the National Flag of India in the canton and the inter-service insignia of the Indian Armed Forces - comprising twin-crossed swords, an unfouled anchor and an eagle surrounded by an oak wreath in gold-furnishing.[24] Similar to that of the service chiefs, this particular command flag is preferably displayed on the CDS's official car and at his office.[25]

Accoutrements

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Whilst the CDS is a rotational appointment held by officers drawn from the three armed services, the CDS is an independent entity, thus mandating a distinct set of accoutrements.[26] Notably, the CDS uniform allows the appointee to retain certain paraphernalia, such as the uniform of the appointee's parent service and its associated decorations; nonetheless, it lacks a lanyard, unlike the uniforms of the service chiefs.[24]

In addition, the office's uniform has several distinct emendations, the primary of which are undermentioned:[24]

Item Image Description
Epaulette
 
 Maroon shoulder epaulette attached with the State Emblem of India atop the inter-service insignia of the Indian Armed Forces surrounded by an oak wreath, in gold-furnishing.[26]
Service cap
 
 Peak cap of the appointee's parent service, with an additional maroon band attached with the inter-service insignia surrounded by an oak wreath, in gold-furnishing.[24]
Belt buckle
 
 Silver buckle designed with the inter-service insignia surrounded by an oak wreath, in gold-furnishing.[26]
Button
 
 Gold-colored button furnished solely with inter-service insignia.[26]

Appointees

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Key

† - Died in office

* - Veteran recalled to active service

No. Portrait Appointee Took office Left office Time in office Service branch Preceding office Ref.
1Rawat, BipinGeneral
Bipin Rawat
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, ADC
(1958–2021)		1 January 20208 December 2021 †1 year, 341 days  Indian ArmyChief of the Army Staff
(2016-2019)		[27][28]
Vacant
(9 December 2021–29 September 2022)
2Chauhan, AnilGeneral
Anil Chauhan
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM
(born 1961*)		30 September 2022Incumbent2 years, 53 days  Indian ArmyGeneral Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command
(2019-2021)		[29]

See also

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Inter-service offices

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Other offices of the Indian Armed Forces

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International equivalents

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References

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  1. ^ "Services rules amended for Army, Navy and Air Force, CDS can serve till 65". theprint.in. 29 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. ^ "CDS Salary 2024: Basic Pay Scale, Benefits, Perks & Allowances". www.cheggindia.com. 19 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Chiefs of Armed Forces". www.india.gov.in.
  5. ^ "Explainer: What India's First Chief of Defence Staff Is Supposed To Do". thewire.in. 31 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "CDS: The long and arduous road ahead". www.orfonline.org. 31 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Functions of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)". pib.gov.in. 3 February 2020.
  8. ^ "President's Secretariat" (PDF). www.mha.gov.in. 26 July 1979.
  9. ^ "The Indian army's first Chief of Defence Staff". tribune.com.pk. 7 January 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star General". pib.gov.in. 24 December 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Institution of the Chief of Defence Staff: Evaluating the First Year". www.delhipolicygroup.org. 1 January 2021.
  12. ^ a b "CDS was needed. But Modi govt also creating Department of Military Affairs is a big bonus". theprint.in. 25 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Chief of Defence Staff, a year later: Lack of Clarity and an ambiguous Mandate". www.thepeninsula.org.in. 25 January 2021.
  14. ^ "The Big Picture: Chief of Defence Staff: Role and Responsibility". www.drishtiias.com.
  15. ^ "Cabinet Committee on Security clears Chief of Defence Staff post: Here are all the details". economictimes.indiatimes.com. 24 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Here's Why the Appointment of India's Second CDS Is Likely to Be Deferred for a While". thewire.in. 13 January 2022.
  17. ^ "CDS by January with Army Chief General Rawat Front Runner". raksha-anirveda.com. 21 November 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Ministry of Defence (Department of Defence) Notification" (PDF). images.assettype.com. 6 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Lt Gen Anil Chauhan, former Army Commander, is new CDS". indianexpress.com. 29 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Why the Elevation of Lt Gen. Anil Chauhan as CDS Is Extraordinary". thewire.in. 29 September 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Gazette Notification – Chief of Defence Staff – Office, Tenure, Retirement Age etc". www.staffnews.in. 10 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Gen Naravane takes charge as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee". www.business-standard.com. 16 December 2021.
  23. ^ "CDS of India, Significance, Roles and Responsibilities". www.pw.live. 9 February 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d "Swords, eagle, anchor: Gen Bipin Rawat to don new uniform as CDS". www.newindianexpress.com. 1 January 2020.
  25. ^ "General Bipin Rawat's official car bears new flag". www.aninews.in. 1 January 2020.
  26. ^ a b c d "Tri-services insignia, no lanyard – what new Chief of Defence Staff's uniform looks like". theprint.in. 31 December 2019.
  27. ^ Ranjan, Rajeev (31 December 2019). Nair, Arun (ed.). "General Bipin Rawat took over as Chief of Defence Staff, US Congratulates Him". NDTV. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  28. ^ "Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, wife among 13 killed in chopper crash". The Economic Times. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)" (Press release). PIB. 28 September 2022.

Further reading

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Books
Think-tanks and journals
Articles
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