However, be that as it may, the new CDS has his work cut out for him,” says Commodore Anil Jai Singh, who is a former submariner of the Indian Navy.Īccording to him, “Gen Anil Chauhan will be inheriting Gen Rawat’s legacy – he tried to bring about a monumental transformation in a short time which obviously was not fully thought through at the time. There has been a 10-month gap in appointing a CDS which is surprising in military appointments but obviously the government has good reason for this. “When the eligibility criteria for the appointment of a CDS were widened to include even retired officers, the indications for the future were there for all to see. SYNERGY HOME HEALTH PROFESSIONALWhile this is probably a regular feature in making constitutional civilian appointments, the armed forces have a certain structure – by elevating a retired officer, the government is signaling that there is no serving officer competent enough for the role, or is there more to it than just professional competence. The appointment of a retired 3-star officer as CDS has turned the institutional sanctity of military service on its head. Improving the widening civil (bureaucratic) – military divide and ensuring integration of the Service headquarters into the decision making loop in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will be a major challenge but essential for an effective national security architecture,” says Commodore Anil Jai Singh, Vice President of the Indian Maritime Foundation.Īlso Read: IAF not “Support Arm’’ says the new chief Bats for joint ops and integration It is a work in progress and the smooth transition will be a challenge that will require sagacity in approach and close inter-service coordination in implementation. “The establishment of theatre command was one of the priority areas. He will be overseeing a monumental military transformation which is inevitable as India gears up to the realities of 21st century warfare. The acquisition has to be prioritised accordingly as the requirements will be from tri-service.ĭoes India need more gunship helicopters, instead of the shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles or there should be focus on technology for future warfare. While making a list, he will have to take into consideration the emerging threats and the changing world and use of high-end technology to fight wars. He will have to focus on budgeting and rationalising the same for each Service and work towards joint planning and acquisition. The tri-services chiefs also have high expectation from the new CDS so that the critical projects like third aircraft carrier for Indian Navy and procurement of fighter jets for Indian Air Force (IAF), which was almost shelved by his predecessor Gen Bipin Rawat – who was killed in plane crash – gets back on the track. The new CDS will also have to ensure that the tri-services gets adequate budget from the government to carry forward the process of modernisation of the forces, barring capital acquisitions. Gen Chauhan faces a herculean task to ensure that India produces military platforms and weapons to be used by the forces and are exported to friendly nations in line with PM Modi’s push for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India). The new CDS who is considered to be an expert in dealing with unreliable Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has ensured that de-escalation and disengagement at disputed areas along the 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is done on India’s terms and conditions. Another alarming situation before Gen Chauhan would be influx of Afghanistan based terrorist in disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. The biggest challenge before him would be to end the colonial hangover, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently pointed out, within the force. Lt Gen Anil Chauhan takes charge as India’s new Chief of Defence Staff Image Credit: Ministry of Defence
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