After PM Modi steps in, consensus builds on combined services committee’s top post

“The decision to have a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) or PC-CoSC is finally a political one. But the three services have all agreed to the idea of a PC-CoSC, who will look after common functions of the three services like intelligence, procurement and perhaps training,” a senior military official said.

In 2001, the Group of Ministers (GoM) report on national security had recommended the creation of the post of a single-point military commander, called the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), which would be senior to the three military chiefs. The proposal, however, was opposed by the defence services and political parties.

In 2012, the Naresh Chandra committee recommended a PC-CoSC, an appointment at par with the three service chiefs. This is an idea which seems to be gaining ground among the defence services and the ministry.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has repeatedly said that he will make his recommendation to the Cabinet after the ministry considers the report of the expert committee chaired by Lt General D B Shekatkar (retired). The report, submitted in December-end, recommended the creation of a PC-CoSC.

A top defence ministry official said that the panel’s recommendations have been studied and further action would be taken soon. The service headquarters, however, are yet to receive a copy of the final report.

The top defence ministry official also confirmed that they had identified certain senior posts in the ministry to be occupied by military officers.

Meanwhile, the proposal to create integrated theatre commands is unlikely to progress further. A senior military commander said there is no rationale for such a proposal, when the resources of the Air Force are not limited to a theatre. Last month, Parrikar had said that the Air Force was too small to be split between integrated theatre commands.