India to have Chief of Defence Staff

New Delhi : In a landmark military reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that the country will now have a chief of defence staff (CDS) as head of the tri-services, a proposal pending since the Kargil conflict in 1999.

In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the prime minister asserted that time has come to enhance synergy among the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force to deal with security challenges facing India.

"To further sharpen coordination between the forces, I want to announce a major decision from the Red Fort: India will have a Chief of Defence Staff- CDS. This is going to make the forces even more effective," he said.

The prime minister said that as head of the three services, the CDS will ensure synergy and provide effective leadership to the armed forces.

The CDS will be senior to the service chiefs and his primary role will be to work towards increasing operational coordination among the Army, Navy or Air Force and deal with India's national security with a comprehensive approach.