Introduction
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech announced that Indian Defence Forces will soon have its first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The issue has been under consideration for nearly two decades now.
A high-level committee was set up in the wake of the Kargil conflict in 1999 to identify gaps in India’s security system. The need for a CDS to ensure better coordination amongst the three services was one of its major findings. A group of ministers tasked to