Eventful First Years for CDS Challenges Remain

Context: ‘First among equals’ four-star status of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and existing limitations in indigenous defence capability, in the long term, would impinge on its effectiveness.

Overview of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS):

• Creation: on the Recommendations of Kargil Review Committee (KRC), Group of Ministers and Naresh Chandra Committee.
• Functions: To promote inter-service jointry and defence modernisation through timely and optimal defence acquisitions.

Areas of Concerns and Challenges Ahead of CDS:

• Promoting inter-service jointry: mere joint doctrine without ‘unified thinking’, cannot overcome challenges of evolving as an integrated defence force.
  • The career profiles of officers have to build in frequent cross attachments to other sister services.
• Defence Acquisition
  • Limitations in indigenous defence capabilities: in the arena of advanced avionics, aerial weaponry and other cutting-edge technologies, such as aircraft carriers and main battle tanks.
  • Make in India principle should not compromise practicality: in technology exploitation, where import becomes inescapable.
    • For e.g. Kaveri engine (indigenous) for Tejas was replaced by the US made one.
• Proposed modification in colour service and pension criteria:
  • Increasing the retirement age to 60 along with permanency to the short service commission, One-Rank, One-Pension would inflate defence pension Bill (24% of the defence budget)
  • Defence budget is a mere, which is 1.15% of Gross Domestic Product and not 3%, as recommended by the Parliamentary Committee on Defence.

Way Forward

• Gradually build up joint manship: advantage of initial joint training at National Defence Academy can be used to enhance tri-service jointry.
  • The career profiles of officers have to build in frequent cross attachments to other sister services.
• Resolving OROP issues: by way of lateral mobility, compulsory military service and reservists to achieve the desired tooth-to-tail ratio and pyramidical age and career profiles.
  • Rationalise manpower: which has bloated the defence services off pension bills.
• Improve overall combat efficiency: by getting a handle on Defence Industrial Complex under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and indigenisation through privatisation.