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WHAT'S HOT?
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ANALYSIS OF
RECENT HAPPENINGS |
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PRIME
MINISTER’S OFFICE (PMO) –– A PROFILE & A DECISION ON CREATION OF CDS
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New
Delhi, 07 March 2001 Readers may recall that IDC had made out a strong case for creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff. It appears now that this will soon be a reality. The
PMO has become the power center of India and the 137 page report of the
Group of Ministers (GoM) on reorganisation of the defence, security and
intelligence apparatus is now in
the PMO for action. This is one of the most important security related
acts that India will take and let us hope the lessons learnt from the 1971
war are heeded, when Gen Sam Manekshaw assumed the role of a de facto CDS
and gave India a smooth victory. Subsequently in 1972, the then Air Chief
P C Lal had scuttled the attempt for reform by objecting to Manekshaw
becoming the CDS. In
India bureaucrats control decision-making and that is a fact of life.
Today it is the PMO that plays a crucial role in decision-making. Leading
the PMO is the super efficient and super powerful Mr. Brajesh Mishra, NSA
and PPS to the PM. Vajpayee, many say, is not as energetic as before but
has miraculously managed to hold a 24 party coalition together and not let
it go the Italian way. It is creditable as many hours of the PM must be
spent on that aspect of governance. Mishra
therefore is the lynch pin of most security matters in India and though in
low key, has played a major role in the Kargil War, nuclear issues
including the draft nuclear doctrine, NSAB, NSC, foreign affairs and all
foreign arms deals, especially with Russia which accounts for the major
chunk of arms transfers. Mishra is in direct touch with most powerful
Foreign and Defence Officials the world over, with personal equations and
telephone lines clear for personal interaction. This aspect is laudable.
He de facto controls India's intelligence apparatus from the PMO. N.K.Singh,
the polished Secretary in the PMO ably assists Mishra. He is from the
Bihar cadre and has rejoined as OSD after his retirement. Earlier
A S Dulat the RAW boss had joined the PMO to look after Kashmir affairs. Mr
N S Sisodia is the new Additional Secretary. He comes with vast experience
in the Defence Ministry and has honed his overall security knowledge in
the NSC/JIC and is a painstaking individual. Mr
Arun Kshetrapal takes over as Addl Secy in NSC to work under another
soft-spoken senior official who avoids the glare. He is the quiet but
extremely capable Satish Chandra formerly posted as Ambassador in
Pakistan. He is Head of the JIC/NSC Secretariat, which has silently
expanded and had assisted in the Subrahmanyam Committee’s Kargil report
and later on the four Task Forces’ reports produced in record time. These
gentlemen are a formidable team with experience and shrewdness and are
engaged in guiding the revolutionary decision making process on India’s
security. With large staffs all hand picked, these bureaucrats are
handling most national issues. On
the Defence Ministry side there is the quiet and unassuming Defence
Secretary Yogendra Narain but his hands are always full with day-to-day
issues of the Defence Forces. Finally, of course, there is the wide chasm
between the Defence Ministry and the Service HQs no matter what people
claim, because their respective interests generally clash as they are not
integrated. India is also involved in large-scale proxy wars in Kashmir
and North East, which eat into decision-making time, as there have to be
war like responses. The
137-page report of the Group of Ministers prepared by NSC secretariat and
now with the PMO, includes the major recommendation of establishment of a
CDS and the paraphernalia that goes with it. The creation of a CDS will
have long term repercussions with the likely domino effect. IDC learn that
the homework has begun and the Chiefs of Staff Committee will formulate
some matters. From media reports IDC gleans that the major recommendations
to be implemented could be on the following lines: v
A
CDS will be in place in the coming months, but its form may surprise many. v
The
DGDPS may become the VCDS, and provide the staff for the CDS. v
Some
MOD and Service HQ integration may emanate. A procurement methodology may
be instituted . v
A
Strategic Command of sorts for nuclear defence may emerge along with a
Defence Intelligence Agency. v
There
will be no massive changes in the Intelligence system but more
co-ordination under the post of NSA will be formalised. Suggestions At
this crucial juncture IDC feel iduty bound to offer our thumb nail
analyses and suggestions in the national interest as we did analyse the
Subramanyam Committee Report and pressed for the case of CDS. We also followed the work of the four Task Forces assiduously. Some
of our arguments have been published in books i.e. ‘A Nation and its
Navy at War’, ‘Indians –– Why We are What We Are’ and ‘Admiral
Vishnu Bhagwat –– Sacked or Sunk’. We are pleased that ultimately
after years of deliberation and debate and notwithstanding the opposition
from the bureaucracy, a CDS and allied system is now being seriously
considered. IDC
is convinced that the three Service Chiefs must co-operate and deliberate
matters in the national interest (media states the Air Force has
reservations). They must produce a template for a powerful five star Army
CDS, repeat Army CDS, for the next three years. As a start it may be
prudent to evolve a Strategic Command to look after nuclear forces and
take over many aspects of combined procurement, operations and
intelligences policies, on the pattern of UK and USA, which are time and
war tested. If the three Chiefs press their case strongly there is no
reason why it cannot go through. On
the other hand, if a watered down four star CDS or such structure where
bureaucracy remains powerful in decision making emerges, then it will be
the same wine in different bottles. In the case of Armed Forces,
seniorities count and in India personalities count even more. The senior most Service Chief (though by just one day in office) is Admiral Sushil Kumar over ACM AY Tipnis, though the latter was commissioned six months earlier. Both retire later this year. Gen S Padmanabhan COAS has two years to go and is responsible for hot spots –– Kashmir and North East and the border tension with Pakistan. Logic of management principles demands that authority must go with responsibility. If need be, the age limit for the CDS may be slightly enhanced.
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