DMA conducting studies for creation of joint commands

According to the sources, Lieutenant General-rank officers working in the DMA will be responsible for creation of each of the joint commands, and will report to the CDS.

CDS Rawat, senior sources in the Defence Ministry said, is working on a 100-day plan, which will create a roadmap for the creation of the joint commands and other housekeeping issues that may crop up. With the creation of joint commands, like the Air Defence Command — to be created first — will involve settling large issues such as the command chain and minor issues like uniforms for those in these commands.

Several such issues are being studied at the moment and will have to be sorted out before the commands are created, senior sources said.

The DMA, which was created on January 1, is also undergoing evolution to find its own structure within the first 100 days. Though the task for it has been cut out, it is still filling up its ranks and creating an organisational structure.

A proposal has been sent to the government for bringing in military officers of the rank of Major Generals to work as Joint Secretaries in the DMA. If accepted, it will be the first time that Joint Secretaries will be men or women in uniform.

The three officers, who will come from Army, Navy and the Air Force, will look after each of the services from the DMA. The officers who have been identified are Major General Narayanan, Rear Admiral R K Dhir and Air Vice Marshal S K Jha, senior sources in the Defence Ministry confirmed.

Two Indian Administrative Services officers are already working as Joint Secretaries in the DMA.

Sources said that Lieutenant General-rank officers will also be included as Additional Secretaries pending approval of the government. There are already several officers of the rank working in the DMA as part of the Integrated Defence Staff, but they continue to work as military officers.