Eligibility for CDS
SIX months after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash, the Union Government has finally set the ball rolling to fill the all-important post. The Ministry of Defence has notified changes in the Army, Air Force and Navy Acts, making any serving or retired Lt General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral under the age of 62 years eligible for appointment as CDS. Three-star officers are now in contention along with the serving Chiefs of the three services, who are four-star officers. The move to widen the selection pool has given the impression that the government is apparently lowering the bar by not confining itself to the obvious choices — the three serving Chiefs.
Eyebrows are bound to be raised if and when a three-star officer, who missed out on being appointed as a service Chief for one reason or the other, is elevated to the CDS’s post. There are apprehensions that the ‘first among equals’ status of the CDS could get undermined in such a case. The prospect of serving four-star officers reporting to such an appointee doesn’t look all that promising. The situation thus created could lead to command-and-control complications which would have a bearing on national security in the long run. It might impede the realisation of key goals: bringing convergence in the functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force; strengthening the country’s military prowess, especially to deal with the threat posed by hostile neighbours Pakistan and China; and the establishment of theatre commands for optimum utilisation of resources.
The selection of the CDS – India’s seniormost military post – is too important an exercise to be trifled or tinkered with. The prolonged hiatus after Gen Rawat’s death has inordinately delayed the theaterisation project, raising doubts about India’s operational preparedness in the absence of jointness. The government’s intent to fast-track the appointment process is welcome, but the final decision must be well thought-through and in the best interests of the defence forces. Any questionable choice would only trigger dissonance, distracting our soldiers from their primary objective of remaining battle-ready at all times.
