Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said integration of the three services was a must and that he was working out a mechanism for the creation of a post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) with a fixed tenure.
Parrikar said he would recommend the mechanism in the next “2-3 months”, noting it was important to move away from the thinking of “we” and “they” between the defence ministry and the three services.
“Integration has to be there and CDS is a must. Give me some time and I will work it out because the integration does not exist in the present structure,” Parrikar said at an event in New Delhi.
He was asked if the government was in favour of a CDS and if a Major General could ever be appointed as a joint secretary in the defence ministry.
“I am not criticising but force integration and requirement integration as well as overlapping will save us money. With overlapping, number of items will be reduced,” he said. He made it clear that he would be recommending a mechanism for creation of the post of CDS and the final decision would be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
At present, India has a chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, which Parrikar described as “virtually a figure head.”
{{/usCountry}}At present, India has a chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, which Parrikar described as “virtually a figure head.”
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