Need for CDS is debatable,says Air Force chief

There is a need for detailed debate on the need for having a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and choose the best model suited to our conditions,outgoing IAF chief P V Naik said today.

Addressing a press conference during his visit at the Central Air Command (Bamrauli) here,Naik questioned the relevance of the CDS in the current form. He has been vocal about it earlier too. He said that an improperly created institution would create more obstruction than solve a problem.

We need to have a detailed debate on the issue so that we are able to work out a solution that is best suited to our interests. Merely creating a CDS is not going to solve all the problems, said Naik.

There is a wrong impression that the Air Force does not want the CDS. But will it work in the current form? Do we need such an institution in the first place? I believe there is tremendous synergy between the forces and it has been proven whenever we have been in action; be it 1947,1965,1971 or Kargil. There is no point in having a three-star,four-star or five-star chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS),an existing organisation,appointed as CDS. Several countries have differing models of the CDS. The point is we need a model that suits us best, asked Naik.The outgoing Air Force chief also pointed out that many nations,where CDS existed,were the ones involved in operations outside their boundaries. We do not foresee such a role outside our country, he added.

Talking about the role of the IAF in counter-insurgency operations,Naik said that it would be in a better position to assist the forces involved in such operations in next few months.

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