There is a design flaw with this military post (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3: Defense and Security
Prelims level: Chief of Defence Staff
Mains level: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context:

• On December 24, 2019, a Press Information Bureau release on the Cabinet clearing the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)said: “The following areas will be dealt by the Department of Military Affairs headed by CDS: The Armed Forces of the Union, namely, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
• Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence comprising Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters. The Territorial Army.
• Works relating to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Procurement exclusive to the Services except capital acquisitions, as per prevalent rules and procedures.”

Role of CDS:

• It added, “The Chief of Defence Staff, apart from being the head of the Department of Military Affairs, will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
• He will act as the Principal Military Adviser to the Raksha Mantri [RM] on all tri-Services matters.
• The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services.
• CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership.”

A subordination:

• Herein lies the contradiction and the design flaw.
• As Secretary in charge of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and having superintendence over the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, there would be an implied subordination of the three service chiefs to the CDS notwithstanding any declaration to the contrary.
• As Secretary of the DMA, the CDS is tasked with facilitating the restructuring of military commands, bringing about jointness in operations including through the establishment of joint/theatre commands.
• This will invariably encroach upon the domain of the service chiefs.
• The CDS, as Permanent Chairperson of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, would outrank the three service chiefs even though theoretically all are four star.
• Moreover the advice of the CDS could override the advice of the respective Service Chiefs on critical tactical and perhaps even strategic issues.

Issues with the Department of Military Affairs:

• With the creation of the DMA on most issues, the reporting structure of the three services to the Defence Minister would now be through the CDS.
• If not immediately it would become the norm over time.
• Even today while in theory the service chiefs report directly to the Defence Minister, in practice all files and decisions are routed through the Defence Secretary.

Way forward:

• However most problematic is the erosion of civilian supremacy over the defence establishment in the Ministry of Defence itself.
• This impacts on the first principles of constitutionalism and has implications for our democratic polity also.
• Sophistry is being employed to suggest that the Secretary DMA would be in charge of military affairs and the Defence Secretary would look after the ‘defence of the realm’.
• The fact is that the defence of India is managed by the three services who would now report to the DMA.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to the 2019 report released by Forest Survey of India (FSI) on Forest Fires, consider the following statements:
1. About 21.4% of forest cover in India is prone to fires, with forests in the south India being the most vulnerable.
2. One of the major reasons for forest fires in the north-east is slash-and-burn cultivation, commonly called jhoom or jhum cultivation.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None

Ans: B
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Discuss the major challenges for Chief of Defence Staff for decision making process.