The report of Naresh Chandra Task Force on Security has sparked a tussle between the South Block babus and the armed forces. The report has recommended to appoint more uniformed officers in the Defence Ministry to increase their say in national security decision making and to replace civilian Defence Secretary by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as ‘a single source of advice’ for the Defence Minister and the Prime Minister.
The
committee led by former cabinet secretary Naresh Chandra lamented that
despite the service chiefs and the highly specialized Service Head
Quarters’ staff being at their disposal for advice in the management of
national security the political establishment is totally relying on the
feedback of Defence Ministry civil servants, drawn from diverse
backgrounds.
“According
to the report the service headquarters are excluded from the apex
structure. The Services have limited access to the political
establishment, and can make little or no contribution to national
security decision-making,” sources said. To cure the problem, the report
suggests posting of more armed forces officers in the ministry, a fact
that has not found much acceptance amongst the bureaucracy.
Informed
sources told The Sunday Standard, to enhance the status of service
Chiefs in decision making processes the Task Force has also recommended
the amendments in Business Rules - the “Government of India Allocation
of Business Rules” (AoB Rules), and the “Government of India Transaction
of Business Rules” (ToB Rules), framed in 1961 under the constitutional
powers of the President of India. As per the present arrangement, the
three Service Chiefs find no mention in the Business Rules, what is
their status and standing vis-à-vis the Defence Secretary – who under
the rules is responsible for the “Defence of India and every part
thereof?”
“Over
the past 64 years, it has become quite clear that the three Service
Chiefs are to be accorded the courtesies due to their rank and position,
and allowed to administer and operationally deploy their respective
Services. However, since they have no locus standi as per Business
Rules, their input to the decision-making of the four MoD Departments
remain marginal.
“So
much so, that the Secretary Department of Defence is deemed to
represent the three Services in most forums, and the Departments of DRDO
as well as Defence Production need not seek or abide by their advice,”
sources added.
With
India inching towards completing its nuclear triad and acquiring
strategic weapons like inter-continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
Agni-V, the criticality of the post of CDS – the Chief’s of the three
service chiefs – has increased. As per the report, the CDS will have
direct access to the Defence Minister rather than channeling his advice
through the Defence Secretary.
“The
present system of Chairman CoSC (Chiefs of Staff Committee) is not
working well. As the senior-most among the three Chiefs take over as
CoSC Chairman he is at the helm of affairs from one to 20 months
depending on his residual service.
“In
the coming times CoSC will become important in the Chain of command for
nuclear weapons; and hence the urgency for CDS,” sources added. In
order to iron out the objections raised by the Indian Air Force (IAF)
opposing the move, the report suggests appointing the seniormost Chief
among the three services to be appointed as CDS and his immediate junior
be handed over the rein of that service.
The
Government had in June 2011, appointed the Naresh Chandra Committee,
and comprising of former defence officers like Admiral Arun Prakash, Air
Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy and former Director General of Military
Operations Lt Gen VR Raghvan and bureaucrats like Brajeshwar and
Vinod K Dugga, to revisit the defence reforms process and the report of
the committee was recently submitted the Prime Minister. The report has
been circulated to the various concerned ministries and finally it
would be considered by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). A public
version of the report is likely to be made available soon for an open
discourse, sources indicated
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Monday, August 6, 2012
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