National Security Architecture Reforms & Theatre Commands : Discussions

Why get a Marine police force ? Just form a "Marines" branch of the military for amphibious warfare. This new police force will end up having responsibility overlap with the coast guards.


India to have Marine Police Force to guard 7,516 km long coastline: Home Ministry Sources

India has a vast coastline of 7,516 km touching 13 states and union territories. It also has around 1,197 islands.

Ritesh K Srivastava
Updated : Oct 19, 2019, 19:52 PM IST
Source : IANS
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Image for representational use only.

New Delhi : The Ministry of Home Affairs has completed the modalities of setting up a new armed force -- Central Marine Police Force -- to strengthen coastal security. A final proposal would be sent to the Cabinet by early next month for approval, a source in the ministry said on Saturday.

About the structure of the force, a senior ministry official said, "Unlike other Central armed police forces, the Central Marine Police Force will have its own cadre, rules, manual, Act, infrastructure and would be headed by a Director-General rank officer."

The proposal to constitute a Central Marine Police Force was made in mid-2016. However, it was not taken up with much enthusiasm, but with recent several intelligence inputs indicating that "Pakistan-based terrorist groups have plans to carry out attacks on important installations and cities located along the coast after infiltrating their cadre through sea route", the ministry expedited the move to form the armed marine force.

The officer, working on the constitution of the marine force, said when Rajiv Gauba was Home Secretary, he had been pushing to expedite the process and had raised the matter at several occasions during internal security meetings. Gauba is currently Cabinet Secretary.

India has a vast coastline of 7,516 km touching 13 states and union territories. It also has around 1,197 islands.

"So far, in order to strengthen coastal security, a Coastal Security Scheme has been implemented in phases since 2005, with the objective of strengthening capacity and infrastructure of the police force of the coastal states/union territories for patrolling and surveillance of coastal areas, particularly shallow areas close to the coast," said the officer.

The Phase-I of the scheme was implemented during 2005-2011 with an outlay of Rs 646 crore. Under Phase II (2011-2020) of the scheme, an amount of Rs 1023.50 crore has been allotted for procurement of 225 new boats based on the vulnerability assessment of the coastline and a total of 60 jetties have been sanctioned to coastal states and union territories.

Under the scheme, 200 coastal police stations are operational, and coastal police has been equipped with 204 boats, 30 jetties, 284 four-wheelers, 554 two-A wheelers, 97 check-posts, 58 out-posts and 30 barracks.

The coastal police stations are also equipped with navigation and communication equipment, card readers, equipment enhancing night operation capabilities of boats and computer systems.

Coastal security is reviewed periodically with all stakeholders by National Committee on Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security against threats from the Sea (NCSMCS) constituted under the Cabinet Secretary.

The government also found that there are significant variations in utilization of resources allocated under Coastal Security Scheme by various states besides lack of budgetary allocation for operation and maintenance of state marine police.

Looking into these complications, the MHA actively considered the proposal to set up Central Marine Police Force and officers concerned were told to "initiate action in a time-bound manner and communicate the action taken in to the Prime Minister Office".

Currently, a three-tier coastal security ring all along the coast is provided by the State Coastal Police, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Indian Navy. The Indian Navy is patrolling along International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), while the ICG is mandated to carry out patrolling and surveillance up to the Exclusive Economic Zone of India (EEZ) and the State Coastal Police performs boat patrolling in the shallow coastal area.

The Indian Navy has been designated as the authority responsible for overall maritime security.

Director General, Coast Guard has been designated as Commander of Coastal Command and made responsible for overall coordination between the state and the Central agencies in all matters relating to coastal security.

"Coastal Security Scheme is implemented in phases with the objective of strengthening infrastructure of Coastal Police Force for patrolling and surveillance of coastal areas," said the officer.

The state coastal police forces work closely with ICG under the hub and spoke concept, the hub being the ICG station and the spokes being the coastal police stations.

"Gapless electronic surveillance along the coastline is carried out by using 46 radar stations of ICG and 74 Automatic Identification System Receiver Stations of Directorate General, Lighthouses and Lightships," he said.

Joint Coastal Security Exercises are conducted by ICG, in coordination with other stake-holders to create synergy between the central and the state agencies involved in the coastal security and based on intelligence inputs, coastal security operations are also being conducted.

About strengthening the security apparatus across the coastline, the officer said the Ministry of Defence has increased manpower of Indian Coast Guard. The sanctioned strength of Coast Guard has been increased from 8,149 in 2008 to 16,792 in 2018 which is 100 per cent increase from manpower recruited in 2008.

The ministry also stated that ships and air assets of Indian Coast Guard are fitted with the latest state-of-the-art technology equipment, systems, sensors to enhance surveillance capability of the Coast Guard.

India to have Marine Police Force to guard 7,516 km long coastline: Home Ministry Sources
 
Army, Air Force & Navy studying each other’s laws to bring into effect Joint Services Act

The forces are looking at international practices, including American Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 that reworked command structure of the US military.

By Snehesh Alex Philip
21 October, 2019 4:46 pm IST
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File photo of Indian Navy | Photo: @indiannavy | Twitter

New Delhi: The Army, the Navy and the Air Force have begun working out the modalities of the Joint Services Act, which aims to integrate the three forces and may replace the Acts that govern the three services currently.

While the respective headquarters of the three services are studying each other’s governing Acts, passed by Parliament, they are also looking at international practices, including the American Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 that made sweeping changes to the Department of Defense by reworking the command structure of the US military, defence sources told ThePrint.

“The work has been going on at individual headquarters-level for the last few months. The matter was also discussed at the recently-held Army Commanders’ Conference and will also figure in the ongoing Naval Commanders’ Conference. The aim is to have a common governing Act for the three services,” said a senior officer who did not wish to be named.

A common Act & the post of CDS

The development comes at a time when the committee, headed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, is working out the terms of references for the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech this year.

The CDS is likely to be a four-star officer who will be the single-point military adviser to the government. The announcement of the post of CDS is in line with a long-pending demand to bring in synergy and pave the way for effective integration.

The CDS will be the first among equals, and the three tri-services Strategic, Cyber, Space and Special Operations Command will also come under him. These commands will be headed by the services in rotation and will have personnel from all three services.

‘Common Act important for smooth functioning’

“Currently, the Army, Navy and the IAF have separate Acts that govern their personnel and conduct. While some offences will bring in severe repercussions under one Act, it might not be true for the other,” said a second officer. For example, in the Army, there are offences that are punishable by death in the battlefield, he said.

“…in the coming years, you will find an Air Force officer commanding an important command where he will be leading Army personnel or vice-versa. A common Act is very important for the smooth functioning,” the officer added.

Asked if the Joint Services Act will replace the three existing Acts governing the armed forces, a source said the modalities are being worked out.

“The services will look at all the pros and cons, and will present the government with options and the best way forward. A single Act, which draws from the best practices of all the three, could replace the existing ones,” the source added.

Army, Air Force & Navy studying each other’s laws to bring into effect Joint Services Act
 
India’s first Chief of Defence Staff will direct three service chiefs


Nov 19, 2019 08:03 IST
By Shishir Gupta
Hindustan Times, New Delhi

While the implementation committee is still to define the charter for the CDS, people familiar with the matter said the chief will be a single-point military adviser to the government, as suggested by the K Subrahmanyam-led Kargil Review Committee.
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Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. (PTI FILE)

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is expected to be announced next month — along with the appointment of a new army chief to replace Gen Bipin Rawat, who is retiring on December 31 — with powers to direct the three service chiefs and to create new theatre commands for an optimal military response in case of hostilities.

While the implementation committee, appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and headed by national security adviser Ajit Doval, is still to define the charter for the CDS, people familiar with the matter said the chief will be a single-point military adviser to the government, as suggested by the K Subrahmanyam-led Kargil Review Committee.

The people cited above also said that the CDS “will not be a paper tiger”, but someone whose advice will be binding on the three services chiefs.

They added that apart from being responsible for promoting jointmanship, the new CDS will be heading all tri-service structures, with the existing post of Integrated Defence Staff being converted into the Vice Chief of Defence Staff. The current IDS chief Lt Gen PS Rajeshwar is being posted to India’s only tri-service command at Andaman and Nicobar islands. He will succeed Vice-Admiral Bimal Verma, who is retiring on November 30.

Jointmanship, a key military doctrine, refers to coordination and integration of strategy, capabilities and execution across the three services.

The people said that though the CDS will carry four stars (like chiefs of the three services do), he will be the “first among equals”, with the task of prioritising hardware for future Indian military needs, allocating tri-services assets to the new theatre commands, and designating tasks to these formations.

The new CDS will be at the heart of Indian military diplomacy, spelling out the new jointmanship terms to break silos between the three services, which, experts say, have been prone to protecting their own turfs while joining hands only on common issues such as pay and pension.

Jointmanship, as military experts including former service chiefs have pointed out, is more important in the event of a two-front war on India’s northwestern and northeastern borders. China has already divided the People’s Liberation Army into military regions and theatre commands for pinpointed military application. The Pakistani armed forces, meanwhile, operate on a joint staff headquarters concept, with the army playing the lead role under its Corps Commanders.

Former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd) said jointmanship is extremely important to optimise all the resources that are available in the armed forces. “It is especially important in the light of the philosophy of theatre commands,” he added.

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff will direct three service chiefs
 
A lot of movements in the CDS front :

Govt moves closer towards Chief of Defence Staff appointment

Published November 20, 2019

New Delhi: Moving closer towards the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the government has sought the names of commander-in-chief rank officers from the three services. As part of the process, the government has also identified the appointment house for the individual appointed as the first CDS.

For the appointment, the Cabinet Committee on Security had appointed an implementation committee under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval who held meetings on the structure and responsibilities of the new position announced to be created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 this year."All the three services have forwarded the names of their commander-in-chief rank officers as was asked for by the government. The implementation committee report is also complete and would be finalised by the government soon," government sources told ANI. Sources said during the initial stages of the appointment process, the thinking of the top government functionaries involved in the process was that the first person to be appointed for the post should be from the Indian Army.

Sources said that the purpose of seeking more names from services is to consider a larger pool of officers while making the appointment for the new office.

They added that it is most likely that the appointment would be made from the existing senior-most officers from the three services by the beginning of next month.

During the discussions, the defence forces in the implementation committee had conveyed to the government that the CDS could be an officer higher in protocol than the existing services chiefs.

The forces are also of the view that the CDS should be placed probably at 11A in the order of precedence where he would be above the services chiefs but a notch below the Cabinet Secretary.

In the order of precedence in the government, the cabinet secretary is at the 11th position while the services chiefs are at the 12th position. If the services' point is accepted, 11A would be a new position created for the CDS.

When the CDS is appointed, the first Vice Chief of Defence Staff would be Vice Admiral C Hari Kumar from the Navy who would be replacing Lieutenant General P Rajeshwar who is going to head the tri-services operational command in Andaman and Nicobar.At present, the three services operate under the Integrated Defence Staff with joint staffing from the three forces. New cyber, space and special operations agencies have been created for the tri-services and they would be working under the CDS, sources said.

Govt moves closer towards Chief of Defence Staff appointment


Appointment of CDS is going to happen by early December.
 
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General Bipin Rawat set to be first Chief of Defence Staff

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File photo.

NEW DELHI : General Bipin Rawat is on a series of farewell visits to military establishments as his tenure as the Army Chief draws to an end in December.

However, the top officer is unlikely to shed his uniform anytime soon, with the decks being cleared for him to take over as the first Chief of Defence Staff – a four star position being created as part of a defence management overhaul.

General Bipin Rawat– who is serving a rare full three year term as the Indian Army Chief after he superseded two officers in 2016 – is likely to get a term of over two years as the CDS, which will largely see the creation of a new structure to provide military advise to the government and implement joint procurement by the three services.

The appointment of a new CDS is expected to be announced in December.

Sources have confirmed that a committee tasked to draw out the role, responsibilities and powers of the CDS has submitted its report, which is to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The recommendation includes creation of a post senior to the current service chiefs with an age limit of 64 years.

As reported by Economic Times, the government had tasked National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval to head the committee for the setting up of a new position that was announced by PM Narendra Modi at his Independence Day address. While joint operations and tri-services commands are likely to be overseen by the CDS, the top officer is set to be heavily involved in procurement of military equipment as well.

Given the shrinking capital budget of the defence ministry, this role will determine immediate procurement cycles for the three forces.

General Bipin Rawat set to be first Chief of Defence Staff
 
Army seeks creation of new post of Deputy Chief of Army Staff, submits proposal to MoD

There are already two existing deputy chiefs of Army Staff.

By Ahamad Fuwad & Manish Shukla, Updated: Nov 28, 2019, 09:58 PM IST
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File Photo: Army chief General Bipin Rawat

The Indian Army has sent a fresh proposal to the Ministry of Defence for creating a new Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCoAS) and two other top posts for which Union Cabinet's approval is required.

The other two posts for which the request has been sent are - Additional Director General (ADG), Vigilance and Additional Director General (ADG), Human Right Violations, sources told Zee Media.

As per the proposal, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategic Planning) would head Directorate of Military Intelligence, Directorate of Military Operation and newly created Information Warfare branch.

There are already two existing deputy chiefs. One is the Chief of Army Staff (Information System and Training) and another being Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Planning and System).

The fresh proposal comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is expected to announce the name of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) soon and also the country’s first four-star Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

Reports say that the names of three top contenders for the post of army chief have been sent to the Prime Minister for final selection.

For the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), incumbent army chief General Bipin Rawat, who is due to retire on December 31, is said to be the top choice.

The name of both the new COAS and first CDS is likely to be announced at least two weeks before Gen Rawat’s retirement.

Army seeks creation of new post of Deputy Chief of Army Staff, submits proposal to MoD
 
Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of four star General


Posted On: 24 DEC 2019 5:44PM by PIB Delhi



In a landmark decision with tremendous reform in higher defence management in the country, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved to create the post of Chief of Defence Staff in the rank of a four-star General with salary and perquisites equivalent to a Service Chief. The Chief of Defence Staff will also head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), to be created within the Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary.

The following areas will be dealt by the Department of Military Affairs headed by CDS:
  1. The Armed Forces of the Union, namely, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
  2. Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence comprising Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters and Defence Staff Headquarters.
  3. The Territorial Army.
  4. Works relating to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
  5. Procurement exclusive to the Services except capital acquisitions, as per prevalent rules and procedures.

Apart from the above, the mandate of the Department of Military Affairs will include the following areas:
  1. Promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.
  2. Facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.
  3. Promoting use of indigenous equipment by the Services.

The Chief of Defence Staff, apart from being the head of the Department of Military Affairs, will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He will act as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-Services matters. The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services. CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership.

As the Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, CDS will perform the following functions:
  • CDS will administer tri-services organisations. Tri-service agencies/organisations/commands related to Cyber and Space will be under the command of the CDS.
· CDS will be member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Raksha Mantri and Defence Planning Committee chaired by NSA.
· Function as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.
· Bring about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc of the three Services, within three years of the first CDS assuming office.
· Ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and rationalise it through jointness among the services.
· Implement Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP), and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans (AAP), as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP).
· Assign inter-Services prioritisation to capital acquisition proposals based on the anticipated budget.
  • Bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services aimed at augmenting combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.
It is expected that this reform in the Higher Defence Management would enable the Armed Forces to implement coordinated defence doctrines and procedures and go a long way in fostering jointmanship among the three Services. The country would be benefitted by coordinated action on greater jointmanship in training, logistics and operations as well as for prioritisation of procurements.
Background
This follows the announcement made by the Prime Minister on 15th August 2019, in his address to the nation, inter alia, "India should not have a fragmented approach. Our entire military power will have to work in unison and move forward. All the three (Services) should move simultaneously at the same pace. There should be good coordination and it should be relevant to the hope and aspirations of our people. It should be in line with the changing war and security environment with the world. After formation of this post (CDS), all the three forces will get effective leadership at the top level."

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Army Chief Bipin Rawat Set to be India's First Chief of Defence Staff After Cabinet Panel Nod: Sources

A key mandate of the CDS will be to facilitate restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.

Updated:December 30, 2019, 2:34 PM IST
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File photo of Army Chief Bipin Rawat.

Outgoing Army chief General Bipin Rawat is set to be India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who will act as the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all matters relating to tri-services.

A key mandate of the CDS will be to facilitate restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through establishment of joint/theatre commands.

Officials said bringing about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance of the three services within three years will be another major mandate of the CDS.

The tri-service agencies, organisations and commands relating to cyber and space will be under the command of the CDS and he will also function as the Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.

Army Chief Bipin Rawat Set to be India's First Chief of Defence Staff After Cabinet Panel Nod: Sources
 
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