Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday that a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will be appointed who will also head the Department of Military Affairs. Javadekar also told that the CDS would be a four-star general, who would be either from the Army, the Air Force or the Navy.

As per sources, the CDS will act as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on tri-services matters. However, the three Chiefs will continue to advise Defence Minister on matters exclusively concerning their respective services.

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Armed forces will fall under the ambit of Department of Military Affairs which will have appropriate expertise to manage military affairs, headed by the Chief of Military Staff. The Department of Military Affairs will have the appropriate mix of civilian and military officers.

The CDS will function as a single point of contact for different branches of the armed forces and as a military adviser to the government. CDS will also be tasked with shortening the weapons procurement procedures and integrating the operation of the armed forces.

Person holding the position will not be eligible to hold any Government office as well as any private employment without prior approval for a period of five years after demitting office of CDS.

Chief of Defence Staff will also be the permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, supported by the Integrated Defence Staff.

It is to be noted that all the Permanent 5 (P5) members of the United Nations Security Council have equivalent posts.

This year, on the 73rd Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced from the Red Fort that a post for Chief of Defence Staff would be created.

The appointment of a CDS was a long-pending issue with the defence ministry attending to it with a sense of urgency.

A high-level committee was also set up to examine the gaps in the country’s security system in the wake of the Kargil war in 1999. The committee had called for the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as a single-point military adviser to the Defence Minister.

Javadekar was addressing the media during which he told about the CDS as well as the updating of NPR.

Read: Cabinet nod for updating NPR; no document required for proof, says Govt

The NPR, since it is linked to the Census, is seen as the first step towards a nationwide exercise to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved Rs 8,500 crore for updating the National Population Register (NPR).