24-Dec-2019: Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star General

In a landmark decision with tremendous reform in higher defence management in the country, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved to create the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of a four-star General with salary and perquisites equivalent to a Service Chief. The Chief of Defence Staff will also head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), to be created within the Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary.

The following areas will be dealt by the Department of Military Affairs headed by CDS:

  1. The Armed Forces of the Union, namely, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
  2. Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence comprising Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters.
  3. The Territorial Army.
  4. Works relating to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
  5. Procurement exclusive to the Services except capital acquisitions, as per prevalent rules and procedures.

Apart from the above, the mandate of the Department of Military Affairs will include the following areas:

  1. Promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.
  2. Facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.
  3. Promoting use of indigenous equipment by the Services.

The Chief of Defence Staff, apart from being the head of the Department of Military Affairs, will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He will act as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-Services matters. The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services. CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership.

As the Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, CDS will perform the following functions:

  • CDS will administer tri-services organisations. Tri-service agencies/organisations/commands related to Cyber and Space will be under the command of the CDS.
  • CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Raksha Mantri and Defence Planning Committee chaired by NSA.
  • Function as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.
  • Bring about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc. of the three Services, within three years of the first CDS assuming office.
  • Ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and rationalise it through jointness among the services.
  • Implement Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP), and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans (AAP), as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP).
  • Assign inter-Services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget.
  • Bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.

It is expected that this reform in the Higher Defence Management would enable the Armed Forces to implement coordinated defence doctrines and procedures and go a long way in fostering jointmanship among the three Services. The country would be benefitted by coordinated action on greater jointmanship in training, logistics and operations as well as for prioritisation of procurements.

Background: This follows the announcement made by the Prime Minister on 15th August 2019, in his address to the nation, inter alia, "India should not have a fragmented approach. Our entire military power will have to work in unison and move forward. All the three (Services) should move simultaneously at the same pace. There should be good coordination and it should be relevant to the hope and aspirations of our people. It should be in line with the changing war and security environment with the world. After formation of this post (CDS), all the three forces will get effective leadership at the top level."

12-Jun-2019: Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the setting up of new agency called the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA)

The government has given a go-ahead to a new agency that will develop sophisticated weapon systems and technologies. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the setting up of this new agency called the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA).

It has been entrusted with the task of creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies. The agency will have a team of scientists which would be working in close coordination with the tri-services headquarter of the Integrated Defence Staff officers. This agency would be providing the research and development support to the newly announced tri-service Defence Space Agency (DSA) created to help the country fight wars in space. It will be comprised of personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. It is likely to command all the space assets including A-SAT capability.

The space capability building has taken place incrementally as in March this year the country had carried out the Anti-Satellite Test which demonstrated its capability to shoot down satellites in space.

With the success of A-SAT, India added a dimension of space deterrence to its military policy and has identified space as a strategic domain in its overall security architecture.

Since 2008, India has had a Military Space Cell, a tri-service organization under the aegis of the Integrated Defence Services (IDS).

25-Mar-2019: Admiral Sunil Lanba commissions Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Training Facility - ABHEDYA, at INS Shivaji, Lonavala

Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM AVSM ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff commissioned a state of the art "Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Training Facility - ABHEDYA", at INS Shivaji, Lonavala.

M/s. GSL had signed the contract with Indian Navy for construction of NBCTF on 31 Mar 2016. In line with its tradition of delivering projects ahead of schedule, GSL has handed over the facility to Indian Navy on 28 Sep 2018, well ahead of schedule.

The timely completion of this Project is a reflection of the superior technical design and execution abilities of the Indian Navy and Goa Shipyard Limited. This unique facility will assist Indian Navy in providing realistic simulation of  Nuclear, Chemical & Biological warfare to its personnel during their NBC damage control training, which till now was limited to theoretical training largely.

The steel structure of the simulator represents the relevant NBC compartment of the ship such as upper decks, citadels, cleansing stations, DCHQ, etc. The upper deck compartment is equipped with live agents along with NBC equipment such as SIRS, SICADS and other NBC detection and monitoring equipment. The trainees will have to detect, monitor, survey and decontaminate the areas using actual NBC equipment, providing real time NBC scenarios.