PM Modi announces CDF post establishment in Independence Day speech

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in his first Independence Day speech made a far-reaching announcement for the defence forces of India.

He said that his government has taken the decision of establishing the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDF) for the three services -- the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech had said, "Our forces are India's pride. 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."

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is a post that will act as the single-point advisor to the Government of India. The officer appointed will be in a position to advise on matters related to all the three services -- Army, Navy and Air Force -- by making the armed forces of India integrated.

"Briefly put, the case for a CDS has been built around the argument that it is necessary to have a professional body of the highest standing to facilitate 'jointmanship' and render single-point military advice to the government on matters of national security," former Army chief General NC Vij told a source.

"The institution of a CDS is best justified by the importance of strategising for a robust and cost-efficient national defence policy. Implicit in this is the role the CDS would play in fostering inter-services jointness in terms of budgeting, equipment purchases, training, joint doctrines and planning of military operations-an imperative of modern warfare," he added.