New Delhi, May 23
Putting to rest the controversy over the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Centre today said that a final decision on this sensitive issue would be taken only after the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee holds wider consultations with various political parties.

“A decision on the appointment of the CDS to serve as a single-point military adviser to the government on strategic forces will be taken after the Prime Minister consults various political parties,” Union Home Minister L.K. Advani told newspersons after releasing the report on the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on “Reforming the National Security System” here.

Later the Minister for External Affairs and the Defence Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, clarified that “barring the recommendations pertaining to the CDS, all other suggestions of the GoM would be implemented within the given timeframe”.

Releasing the 135-page report, Mr Advani, flanked by External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, said the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had accepted all other 24 recommendations.

On the speculation over Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra being divested of the charge of National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Jaswant Singh said he would continue to hold the dual responsibility till the new National Security Council (NSC) was firmly in place.

On the reports over Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar withdrawing from the race for the CDS, the Defence Minister clarified that the Admiral Kumar, who was Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, had stepped aside to ensure better implementation of the GoM’s recommendations.

Mr Jaswant Singh said the Navy Chief had written a letter in this regard in an act which was “truly democratic” and not because of deferment of a decision on the CDS. “I have conveyed my appreciation to him.”

Denying that Admiral Kumar had opted out following opposition by the Air Force, he said “services do not oppose. They have a right to convey their views to the government....Once a decision is taken by the government, they have to implement it.”

The GoM has recommended that the CDS should be a four-star officer drawn from one of the three services in rotation and exercise administrative control over nuclear weapons.

Stating that the government had decided to publicise the report to enable people to know about the security-related issues, the Home Minister said a total of 30 pages dealing with revamp of the intelligence system in the Kargil conflict and related inputs have been deleted due to security considerations from the report released today.

Outlining a comprehensive systemic overhaul of the country’s security and intelligence apparatus, the report has proposed a holistic 15-20 year defence perspective plan and the creation of a Joint Services Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Progressive decentralisation of decision-making and delegation of powers to service headquarters is envisaged with the latter becoming integrated headquarters of the Defence Ministry rather than “attached offices”. However, Mr Jaswant Singh said there would be no dilution in the role of Defence Secretary who will act as Principal Defence Adviser to the Defence Minister.

The establishment of an Intelligence Coordination Group (ICG)) and Technology Coordination Group (TCG) are among major elements recommended in the area of intelligence. The ICG will among other things oversee the functions of intelligence agencies. “Never before in the past 50 years has such a comprehensive study been made of national security,” Mr Advani said.

The TCG will coordinate and regulate plans for the acquisition of all new, costly, major strategic facilities/equipment by the intelligence agencies and generally oversee the TECHINT capabilities of the intelligence agencies as well as examine issues relating to allocation of funds for this purpose.

On the other hand, the ICG will provide systematic intelligence oversight at the apex level and inter-alia deal with the allocation of resources to the intelligence agencies, consideration of annual reviews on the quality of inputs, approve the annual tasking for intelligence collection, oversee the functions of intelligence agencies and examine national estimates and forecasts.

The NTFO will, inter-alia, plan, design, set up and operate any major new strategic and expensive TECHINT facilities as approved by the TCG keeping in view the rapid convergence now taking place among hitherto different technologies. Defence information relations are to be revamped at headquarters with quick-responding media cells in field formations.

Significantly, the GoM has approved the establishment of a new procurement system. A Special Secretary (Procurement) appointed last night will head the wing which will have military and civilian officers performing special functions relating to procurement. The GoM has also approved the creation of a Defence Staff which will be a Joint Staff comprising service officers, civil servants, foreign service officers, scientific personnel and financial experts.

“This will thus be a fully integrated structure within Defence Ministry,” Mr Jaswant Singh said. A group chaired by Secretary (Defence Finance), is being established to examine the implementation of existing delegations of financial powers to the service headquarters and proposals for their enhancement over the next 12 months.

The Defence Minister said all defence-related recommendations of the GoM would be implemented by the year end. He did not foresee any difficulty in the implementation as he pointed out that the recommendations of the GoM were based on thorough interaction with the authorities concerned in Defence establishments.

Mr Advani said the new structures anticipated “current and emerging security threats” — nuclear missiles, cyber information, technology innovation and, not the least, international terrorism, low-intensity conflict and proxy war. “These are new and innovative organisational platforms capable of flexible responses and not just upgradation of yesterday’s systems,” he said.

The participation of key political players, the NSA, the Cabinet Secretary, the services, the paramilitary, the police and intelligence chiefs, and the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government in the entire exercise ensured the necessary political will, financial commitment and operational backup to secure radical systemic changes, he said.

The GoM had been set up in April, 2000, to review the National Security System in its entirety and in particular to consider the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee and formulate specific proposals for implementation.

The GoM set up four task forces on intelligence apparatus, internal security, border management and management of defence, all multi-disciplinary in character.