Now for that big question: Who will be the chief of defence staff, this super military officer?

The Group of Ministers headed by Union Minister L K Advani, which approved the Arun Singh Committee recommendations, has reported to the Cabinet.

"They [the GoM] have not recommended anything very sweeping," says a senior bureaucrat. "But there are definite steps, including the creation of CDS, that are expected to be implemented in the next few months."

Our talks with defence experts, bureaucrats and politicians reveal that the CDS may not turn out be a super commander like the one the United States has in its chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He will, quite probably, have no operational responsibilities.

Again, the restructuring would not make the civilian bureaucracy vanish completely. The defence secretary would continue as the government's civilian advisor -- which, in other words, means that his bureaucrats would decide on purchases and certain policy matters.

Here's Josy Joseph's take on what the proposal looks like:

Chief of Defence Staff

HE will be the principal military advisor to the government. Will be appointed from among the senior-most three-star officers of the three services -- that is, lieutenant generals, air marshals and vice-admirals.

The three chiefs would also be appointed from among this pool of officers.

The CDS need not necessarily be one of the service chiefs. "He may be, he may not be," says an official involved in the restructuring exercise. "The option is with the government."

Rediff columnist Major General (retired) Ashok Mehta, for his part, feels the CDS will not be from among the chiefs.

Mehta, who has an admirable network in the present establishment, says the first CDS will be appointed only after Admiral Sushil Kumar, currently the head of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, retires.

The CDS will be the permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The new Chiefs of Staff Committee will have five members -- the CDS, the three service chiefs and a member secretary, who will be the vice-chief of defence staff. The VCDS will look after the day-to-day co-ordination between the services. He will represent the CDS on all boards of the ministry.

Some powers that the defence chiefs currently exercise will be transferred to the CDS. Force development responsibility -- planning how the services should emerge in the future -- will be among the CDS's key responsibilities.

Operational responsibilities -- war, for instance, or counterinsurgency -- will continue with the chiefs.

The CDS will prioritise the acquisition demands of the three services and link the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the government.

"For the first time there would be inter-service comparison of capabilities and requirements. At present the minister is flooded with individual requests and he in his wisdom decides what needs to be given first preference," an official comments.

Intelligence

THIS will be another key function of the CDS. The intelligence agencies of the three services will be brought under him through a planned merger.

Reporting to the CDS will be a director-general of Joint Intelligence, under whom the chiefs of the three intelligence -- to be designated additional director general (military intelligence), ADG (naval intelligence) and ADG (airforce intelligence) -- will function.

"At present there is very little sharing of information between the MI, NI and AI," points out a senior army officer who played a crucial role in the Arun Singh Committee recommendations.

Integrated Command

THE Arun Singh Committee recommends that the Naval command at Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which has elements of the Army and Air Force, be strengthened and converted into a full-fledged tri-service organisation.

This command, the Committee says, should be handed over to the CDS. "Experience of the tri-service command at Andaman should help the CDS in establishing combined commands in the future," says a senior official.

The proposal is to set up tri-service commands all over the country, making India's defence operations similar to that of the US Unified Combatant Commander.

"That would happen only after a review [of the Andaman command] some five years down the line," sources say.

"Today we have a total of 16 [7 of the IAF, six of the Army and three of the Navy] commands. It should shrink to five or six unified commands," officials associated with the Arun Singh Committee say.

For example, instead of separate southern commands for Navy, Air Force and Army, it will become "a unified Southern Command." The combined command could be under a three-star general from any of the three services.

"When all commands become integrated, the CDS will become the operational chief. That might happen in a decade or 15 years," says a senior government functionary.

Once that is achieved, the chiefs of individual services will become the chief advisors to the government for their respective services, with responsibilities of training, administration and welfare.

Chiefs of Staff Committee under the CDS will also become the recommending authority for appointing command chiefs of the unified command.

The CDS will be responsible for joint operations and training.

Rank and Protocol

IN protocol, the CDS will be equal to the cabinet secretary, as will be the service chiefs. But on ceremonial occasions the CDS will be the first among the four. He would be a four-star general like the service chiefs.

The CDS will, like the service chiefs, retire at 62. He will have a minimum tenure of two years.

Sources also indicate that the appointment of the CDS will not be according to any particular pattern. However, a specific recommendation of the Arun Singh committee is that if the CDS is not from Army, the VCDS should be from that service, considering its importance.

Major General (retired) Mehta believes that the CDS will be "appointed on a rotational basis from the three services".

Vice-Chief of Defence Staff

THE VCDS will head the secretariat of the CDS. He will co-ordinate between the three services and the ministry.

He will represent the CDS on all the boards and corporations of the defence ministry.

The VCDS will be a three-star general or equivalent. He will be drawn from the pool of seven/eight senior-most officers in the three services.

"It will be the CDS, under the day-to-day co-ordination of VCDS, which will ensure that the defence budget doesn't go waste and resources are used to the fullest," points out an official.

In the last financial year over Rs 40 billion had to be returned to the ministry.

Procurement Board

THE Arun Sigh committee recommends the setting up of a procurement board, under which a new department will integrate civilian officials, financial advisors and service personnel.

"At the top will be the board which will have nominees from the three services, and it will be headed by the defence secretary," sources say.

The board will draw recommendations from the CDS on major acquisitions.

Financial Powers

SWEEPING changes in the financial powers of the three service headquarters. The revenue expenditure should be completely handed over to the three services, the Arun Singh committee recommends.

Financial advisors will be appointed to each service. At present, almost 70 per cent of the defence budget is revenue expenditure -- salary, allowances, maintenance etc. Under the existing arrangement, most decisions on revenue expenditure is taken by civilian officials.

"Delegation of routine financial powers to the service headquarters will ensure optimum manpower utilisation," says a senior official.

Concluded.

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