Gen Bikram Singh could be India's tri-service military chief

The UPA government seems to be planning some major reforms in the defence establishment. After putting the chief of defence staff (CDS) proposal in cold storage for over a decade, the government plans to appoint a tri-service military chief, reports Business Standard. According to the report, the tri-service military chief would be the government’s single point of contact on matters related to national defence and Army Chief General Bikram Singh is likely to be appointed the permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) next month. [caption id=“attachment_1160107” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  General Bikram Singh. AFP[/caption] Singh will remain a four star general like the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force and would not wield the power that had been envisioned by the Group of Ministers, who had recommended the creation of a five-star Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in 2001. Lt Gen Anil Chait, heading the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), is likely to succeed Gen Bikram Singh as Army chief, who would be the senior-most eligible general in the Army with effect from 2014, notes the report. The need for a tri-service commander has been institutionally articulated since 1999, when the Kargil Committee Report, noting the difficulties in inter-service coordination during the Kargil conflict, recommended the appointment of a CDS. Read the Business Standard report here