20 Years After Kargil War, India's First-Ever Chief Of Defence Staff To Be Appointed Next Month

After two decades of Kargil War, India is finally set to have its first-ever Chief of Defence Staff next month. The key appointment will be announced along with the new army chief around December 31st, The Hindustan Times report said on Tuesday. The Chief of Defence Staff will have the power to direct all three service chiefs and will act as the sole military advisor to the Government of India. The development comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the radical reform in August, which was pending since the Kargil War. This entire exercise is seen as an effort to spark greater synergy among the armed forces a single-window clearance for key orders during emergency situations.

As head of the three services, the CDS will ensure synergy and provide effective leadership to the armed forces, the Prime Minister had said at the time of making this key announcement.

“The CDS will carry four stars (like chiefs of the three services do), he will be the “first among equals”, with the task of prioritising hardware for future Indian military needs, allocating tri-services assets to the new theatre commands, and designating tasks to these formation.” The Hindustan Times report said.

The development comes after a long wait of 20 years. A high-level committee set up to examine the gaps in the country's security system in the wake of the Kargil war in 1999 had called for appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff as a single-point military adviser to the Defence Minister.