Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC)

The Chief of Staff Committee (CoSC) consists of Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs.
It is headed by the senior-most of the three chiefs in rotation till the he retires.
It is a platform where the three service chiefs discuss important military issues.

The three services have agreed on the appointment of a Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCoSC).

What is Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCoSC) ?

It is proposed to be headed by a four-star military officer, who will be equivalent to chiefs of army, airforce and navy.
He would look into joint issues of the services like training of troops, acquisition of weapon systems and joint operations of the services.
He would also be in-charge of the tri-services command at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The post has also been referred to as Chief of Defence Staff.
He will head the Chiefs of Staff Committee meetings.
Various committees such as the Kargil Review committee led by K Subramaniam and the Naresh Chandra committee of 2011 recommended a permanent chairman.

Arguments in favour of Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCoSC)

Better Coordination: It will improve jointness in military command by integration in projects and resource sharing. For example during 1962 and 1965, all three segments of the armed forces face difficulties in coordination.
Unfragmented advice: The PCCoSC is envisaged as a single-point military adviser to the government.
Better defence acquisition: It would also improve capacity of the armed forces on defence acquisition by removing time and cost overruns.
Quick Decision-making during War: Often during war a difficult decision can only be made by a specially selected defence chief and not by a committee like the CoSC that operates on the principle of the least common denominator.

Challenges to setting up Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCoSC).

Threat to Democratic Process: It is apprehended that the Defence Services will become too powerful and subvert civilian control over the military with possibilities of a military coup.
• Status Quo: The present arrangement of Chief of Staff Committee (CoSC) has served us well over the years and hence there is resistance against “unnecessary change”.

Resistance within the armed forces

There is said to be inhibition amongst Service Chiefs over the years that their position would get undermined if the CDS were to be appointed.
The feeling among the smaller Services, particularly the Air Force, of Army dominance in defence policy formulation. Some fear that a CDS may lead to a situation like the one that prevailed before 1947, when the Army was the dominant Service.

Resistance within Bureaucracy

There is said to opposition by the civilian bureaucracy as their control over the higher defence set up would be diminished.
Ceremonial Post: There is also a concern that the post may become a ceremonial post without any clear cut roles and responsibilities.

Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) | UPSC