Even as the nation awaits the announcement of the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), preparations are already in full swing to define his charter, his duties and his place in the government hierarchy. As mentioned in the past, the CDS will be first among equals in the military.
Protocol wise, the CDS will be perhaps at number 12 in the warrant of precedence, the 3 Chiefs are likely to be one notch below the CDS, such as 12A. The exact working relationship between the CDS and the Defence Secretary is not clear to me yet. But surely it has been finalised
As is well known, the CDS will be responsible for planning, coordinating and prioritising procurements based on inputs from service HQs and by keeping the available funds in mind. He will thus be the principal defence —not a single-point—adviser to the Cabinet as also the NSA.
Apart from the current CISC—who will be the Deputy CDS—the new CDS will also have the three tri-service agency heads (Cyber, Space and Special Forces), DG DIA and the SO-in-C as well as E-in-C directly reporting to him. The last two posts are currently with the Army.
Army HQ is likely to have new posts of DG, Signals, and DG, Engineering Services in line with the other line directorates like DG, Artillery; DG, Mech Forces; DG Infantry, to name just three.
In a major surprise—after a re-think of late—the CDS may also be given operational control of the Strategic Forces Command. The administrative & budgetary control of the SFC is however likely to remain with the PMO through the NSA. If this happens—and its a big IF—a major change.
Finally, the answer to the BIGGEST Q—who will be the first Chief of Defence Staff—is still elusive! While Gen Bipin Rawat is definitely the hot favourite to grace that post, it is futile to speculate since the decision is most likely to come as early as next week.
Btw, an office chamber for the CDS is already identified and more or less ready in South Block, a bungalow on the K. Kamraj Marg has been earmarked to welcome the first CDS soon.
