New Delhi, 31 May. General N.S. Raja Subramani on Sunday took over as the country’s new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS). He has assumed this post at a time when the Indian Army is going through many major changes. He will also have to complete the incomplete work of the previous CDS.
Expert in strategic matters related to Pakistan and China
Subramani is considered an expert in strategic matters related to Pakistan and China. He has experience in the Northern Command as well as the Central Command of the Indian Army and has also held the responsibility of Military Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat. But now as CDS, his real test will be in institutional reforms. Although continuous work is being done on jointness and coordination between the Army, Navy and Air Force, but after ‘Operation Vermillion’, the focus on this has increased even more.
The unfinished work of theater command has to be completed
The biggest challenge before the country’s third CDS Subramani will be to put the Integrated Theater Command on the ground. This scheme has been running for many years. Now its blue print has been prepared and handed over to the Defense Ministry. But how will it be implemented on the ground and what will be the command structure, these still remain complex questions.
Just a few days ago, former CDS General Anil Chauhan had said that structural changes are the biggest challenge. The real challenge has always been to change thinking and mindset. If people’s thinking changes then other changes start happening automatically. He had said that in the process of theater command, we are about 10 to 15 years behind other countries. If we do the work one by one it will take too much time. Therefore, we try to do many things simultaneously.
Real jointness between the three armies
At present there are a total of 17 single service commands in the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Army has 6 operational and 1 training commands. The Indian Air Force has 5 operational, 1 training and 1 maintenance commands. The Indian Navy has 2 operational and 1 training commands. Even after creating the theater command, establishing coordination in the work culture, training, logistics and procurement processes of the three armies will also be an important task.
Self-reliance and modernization
It will also be a challenge for the new CDS to balance the modernization and self-reliance of the three armies. What is being given continuously on self-reliance in the defense sector. But it is also a fact that the armies have been raising the issue of delay in delivery of essential military equipment including weapons. If we look at the Air Force itself, there has been a delay of more than two years in getting the indigenous fighter jet Tejas Mark-1A. Similarly, the timeline for getting many more military equipment keeps moving forward. CDS will also have to see that while increasing self-reliance, the pace of modernization is not affected.
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