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What are the duties of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as Head of the Department of Military Affairs ? 1. Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee 2. Exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs 3. Principal Military Advisor to Defence Minister on all tri-service matters Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Explanation
The correct answer is option D (1 and 3 only).
The Chief of Defence Staff serves as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) as well as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs[2]. The CDS acts as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-services matters[5], making statements 1 and 3 correct.
However, statement 2 is incorrect. The CDS "will not exercise any military command, including over the three service chiefs"[6]. The CDS role is advisory and coordinative in nature rather than operational command. The three Service Chiefs retain their independent command over their respective forces.
Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 accurately describe the duties of the CDS as Head of the Department of Military Affairs, making option D the correct answer.
Sources- [1] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
- [2] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
- [3] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
- [4] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
- [5] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
- [6] https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/quick-take/india-really-needed-a-chief-of-defence-staff/article30467960.ece
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a 'Major Reform' question. The creation of the CDS was the most significant defence restructuring in decades. The question tests the fundamental 'Red Line' of the post: Advisory vs. Operational Command. If you missed the specific limitation that the CDS does *not* command the Service Chiefs, you missed the core democratic safeguard of the reform.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Does the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as Head of the Department of Military Affairs, serve as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee?
- Statement 2: Does the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as Head of the Department of Military Affairs, exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs?
- Statement 3: Is the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as Head of the Department of Military Affairs, the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all tri-service matters?
- Explicitly states the CDS was appointed as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
- Also links the CDS appointment with the Department of Military Affairs by naming the CDS as Secretary of that department.
- Directly affirms that the Chief of Defence Staff is the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
- Describes the CDS's role as principal military adviser on tri-services matters, reinforcing the CDS's overarching tri-service role.
- Specifies that the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) was created "with a Chief of Defence Staff as its head," confirming the CDS is head of DMA.
- Connects the CDS role to the DMA, supporting the premise that the CDS serves in that departmental head capacity.
Shows a general rule: the minister (or minister of state) in charge acts as chairman of consultative committees attached to that ministry/department.
A student could extend this pattern to ask whether the head of a defence-related department (here the CDS as head of DMA) similarly chairs inter-service bodies linked to that department.
Repeats the rule that the political head of a ministry/department normally functions as chairman of committees attached to that ministry.
Use this as an analogy to test if administrative/functional heads (like CDS) are given analogous chairmanships of defence committees, or whether chairmanship is reserved for service chiefs or a political minister.
States that each House secretariat is headed by a permanent officer appointed by the presiding officer, illustrating that some institutional heads are explicitly designated as 'permanent' officers.
A student could use this example of 'permanent' institutional office-holders to ask whether the CDS/DMA post is similarly codified as a permanent chair of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in official rules or notifications.
Lists senior military ranks and high-level posts together, indicating there are formal lists/rules specifying roles and ranks for key positions.
A student could look for an analogous formal list or government order that specifies who chairs the Chiefs of Staff Committee (e.g., names/ranks), and see whether CDS appears there as 'permanent chairman'.
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