In the midst of the 60th Independence anniversary celebrations, many may have missed a small news report on a proposal for elevating the defence secretary’s post to that of cabinet secretary rank. The issue merits closer examination, especially because the establishment has been in the grip of stasis for years, with many important issues hanging fire. Prime among these is that of the creation of a chief of defence staff (CDS), strongly recommended by a Group of Ministers (GoM) six years ago. Which makes one wonder if the Sir Humpherys are prevailing in a replay of ‘Yes Minister’ in South Block.

To briefly recapitulate, the report of the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) headed by K. Subrahmanyam in 1999, was scathing in its indictment of India’s security management system. It bemoaned that the ad hoc framework bequeathed by Ismay and Mountbatten had been allowed to survive by default for over 50 years without any allowance being made for a continuously evolving security environment. In a specific context, it commented: “India is perhaps the only major democracy where the Armed Forces Headquarters are outside the apex governmental structure... The status quo is often mistakenly defended as embodying civilian ascendancy over the Armed Forces, which is not the real issue. In fact, locating the SHQ in the Government will further enhance civilian supremacy.”

The KRC Report led to the formation of a GoM which, working with unusual alacrity, rendered in a matter of 14 months, a set of pertinent recommendations for “reforming the National Security System”. Among other measures, the GoM recommended constituting a CDS, who was to be the permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The main function of the CDS would be to: administer the Strategic Forces, to optimise the inter-service force-planning process, to ensure the required “jointness” in the Armed Forces and integration with MoD, and above all, to be the single-point source of military advice to the GoI.

... contd.