Defence News
Advancements, posting of senior defence officers presently come beneath CDS.
Till now the department of defence was responsible for this but with the creation of DMA but to bring more confidentiality in the system the job will be handled by DMA.
Promotions and postings of officers above the rank of brigadier and equivalent ranks will be under the ambit of the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA), headed by the Chief of Defence Staff, to maintain more scrutiny and transparency in the process, sources privy to the matter have said.
Till now the department of defence was responsible for this but with the creation of DMA but to bring more confidentiality in the system the job will be handled by DMA, they said.The board for promotion from Brigadier to Maj General and then to Lt Gen will be controlled by DMA. This would include equivalent ranks in Air Force and Navy also.
Postings of the officers of this level will also be now controlled directly by the DMA under the supervision of the Chief of Defence Staff, as per the work of allocation.
The CDS is serving as the secretary of this newly conceptualised department that is mandated to striking more synergy within the armed forces and also integrate the Ministry of Defence and the three forces.The CDS has been given financial powers and the files from his office will not be required to go through the defence secretary and in most cases will be sent directly to the defence minister, sources said.
“The approval for financial powers is still awaited but it been given the nod in principle. All files are still coming to the defence secretary,” said an official.Other than promotions, policies on pay and allowances for the armed forces will also be under the DMA.
The DMA is will have a mix of civil and military officers. Out of the five joint secretary-level officers, two are civilians and three from the force representing Army, Navy and Air force.In addition, approval has been sought for one more additional secretary rank officer.The department of military affairs headed by the CDS will play a key role in promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.
While the chiefs will continue to head the operations for their respective forces, the CDS will have powers on tri-service administrative issues. Also tri-service training an essential part of jointmanship will come under the officer of CDS, sources said.
