Integrated Defence Staff

Roles of the IDS includes facilitating the efficient functioning of multi-service bodies[1] such as the Defence Satellite Control Centre (Integrated Space Cell), providing secretarial and domain expertise to the Minister of Defence in all proposals of capital defence procurements[2] and providing the building of cooperation through intra-service deliberations for procurements, joint doctrines, joint training and common procedures.[3] The Defence Cyber Agency, the Defence Space Agency,[4] and the Armed Forces Special Operations Division will function under the IDS.[5] These three agencies are expected to become operational by November 2019.[6]

The colour of jointmanship of the three services is purple, hence, the term 'Purple Fraternity' is applied to their ranks.[4]

Post-independence, a military wing was created inside the Cabinet Secretariat. The wing was later shifted to the Ministry of Defence. The wing was headed by Joint Secretary (Military), a major general (or equivalent)-level officer, who was responsible for keeping the Cabinet Secretary informed through the Defence Secretary about defence-related issues and had various other responsibilities including on coordination-related matters.[7]

The Defence Planning Staff was established under the Ministry of Defence in 1986 to provide assistance to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Comprising representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence (including one scientist from the Defence Research and Development Organisation) and the Ministry of Finance, the organisation was headed by Director General Defence Planning Staff (DG DPS), a lieutenant general (or equivalent)-level position held in rotation by the three services, and had five divisions.[8] The DG DPS had the status of a vice chief of staff.[9]

After the Kargil War between India and Pakistan, the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) was set up by the Government of India on 29 July 1999[10] under the chairpersonship of retired Indian Administrative Service officer and former Defence Production Secretary, K. Subrahmanyam. The committee submitted its report to the prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on 7 January 2000 and was tabled in the Parliament of India on 23 February 2000.[11][12]

Following KRC's report, a group of ministers (GoM) was set up on 17 April 2000 to consider the recommendations in the Kargil Review Committee Report, as well as to review national security more thoroughly. The GoM consisted of L. K. Advani, George Fernandes, Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, the ministers of home affairs, defence, external affairs and finance, respectively. Brajesh Mishra, National Security Advisor, was assigned as a special guest to the meetings of the GoM and the Cabinet Secretariat (National Security Council Secretariat) provided any help required.[13] The GoM came out with its own report, "Reforming the National Security System".[14] The GoM report was submitted by them to Prime Minister Vajpayee on 26 February 2001.[15]

Pursuant to the recommendations of the KRC and GoM, as well as prior recommendations by the Standing Committee on Defence of the Parliament of India,[14] the Government of India constituted the Integrated Defence Staff under the Ministry of Defence through a notification on 23 November 2001.[16][17] The Defence Planning Staff and the Military Wing inside the Ministry of Defence were merged into IDS.[18]

IDS celebrates its raising day on 1 October every year, 2018 being the 18th.[4][19][20]

The body is headed by the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff who has a status equivalent to that of a vice chief of staff. It consists of various branches, divisions and directorates. The CIDS is assisted by various staff officers, designated deputy chiefs of integrated staff, who are lieutenant general (or equivalent)-level officers and head different branches. An assistant chief of integrated defence staff—major general (or equivalent)-level officer—heads a division whilst a deputy assistant chief of integrated staff heads a directorate. The organisation is staffed by officers and personnel from the three services, together with officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Defence Accounts Department and the Defence Research and Development Organisation of the Ministry of Defence.[21]

Different branches under Chiefs of Staff Committee are:

Branch	Deputy chief of staff responsible	Images	Reference(s)
Policy Planning and Force Development	Air Marshal Rajeev Sachdeva		[22]
Doctrine, Organisation and Training	Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh		[23]
Operations	Lieutenant General P. J. S. Pannu		[24]
Intelligence	Lieutenant General K.J.S Dhillon		[25]
Medical Branch	Lieutenant General Madhuri kanitkar, AVSM ,VSM		[26]

Integrated entities

• Defence Planning Committee, tri-services command at policy level with NSA as its chief
• Armed Forces Special Operations Division, tri-services command at operational level
• Defence Space Agency, draws staff from all 3 services of Indian Armeed Forces
• Strategic Forces Command, nuclear command of India
  • Indian Nuclear Command Authority, Strategic Forces Command
  • Special Forces of India, tri-services, RAW and internal Security each has own units
• Andaman and Nicobar Command, first operational tri-services command

Assets

• List of Indian Air Force stations
• List of Indian Navy bases
• List of active Indian Navy ships
• India's overseas military bases

Other nations

• Special Operations Forces Command (KSSO) - Russian equivalent command
• Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) - U.S. equivalent command

General concepts

• Joint warfare, general concept
• Minimum Credible Deterrence
• List of cyber warfare forces of other nations

• Integrated Defence Staff. "History" (PDF). Integrated Defence Staff. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
• Controller Of Defence Accounts (Integrated Defence Staff). Defence Accounts Department Office Manual 2014 Edition Chapter 1. The Controller General Of Defence Accounts. National Informatics Centre.