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Rezaul H Laskar in New Delhi
A new dimension has been added to the government's controversial effort to appoint a chief of defence staff, with the Indian Air Force chief asking for the move to be put on hold.
Sources in the IAF said Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis has written a letter to Defence Minister Jaswant Singh expressing his reservations about the proposed reforms in the armed forces, including the appointment of a CDS and the creation of a structure to support him.
"Air Chief Marshal Tipnis wrote to the defence minister about three weeks ago," said a senior IAF officer who did not want to be named. "It was felt that adequate time and attention had not been given to important matters that could have implication for several decades."
A high-level military body, headed by naval chief Admiral Sushil Kumar, who is also chairman of the chiefs of staff committee, finalised the proposed CDS set-up in June.
The defence ministry has cleared this proposal and plans to forward it to the finance ministry for clearance.
The government had announced on May 11 that the CDS structure would be in place within 90 days, and Defence Minister Singh is keen on ensuring that this deadline is met, defence sources said. The defence ministry has created an implementation cell for the purpose.
The move to appoint a CDS became mired in controversy when Admiral Kumar, frontrunner for the post, voluntarily opted out in May. Opposition parties also stepped up pressure for wider consultations on the move.
Tipnis has never made any bones about his reservations on the appointment of a CDS, who is being projected by the government as a single-point military adviser and operational commander of India's nuclear forces.
The IAF chief had spoken out against the move several times earlier this year. His recent letter was the second official communication to the government in the matter, the sources said.
They said most reservations within the IAF about the CDS structure stem from the fact that the numerically smaller force will not have adequate say in decision-making.
The IAF is currently the only service capable of delivering nuclear weapons and it is not keen on relinquishing control over this capability. The IAF has also proposed the creation of a separate strategic nuclear command that would be controlled by it and not the CDS.
"The CDS structure has to be equitable and there has to be adequate representation of each service's interests," the sources said.
They emphasized that the IAF was not opposed to the government's decision to appoint a CDS. "Most of the reservations arise from the manner in which this is being implemented. There is need for further debate and it was felt that 90 days was too short a period to reform the defence management structure," said a senior IAF officer.
In his letter, Tipnis has reportedly sought an opportunity from the defence minister to represent the IAF's views on the CDS structure.
The CDS structure is intended to promote joint planning and execution of military operations. It is also aimed at streamlining intelligence gathering and medical services for the armed forces.
Indo-Asian News Service
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