Chief of Defence Staff required in country: NSAB P S Raghavan

The National Security Advisory Board has been recommending formation of the post of the Chief of Defence Staff, but the three services of the armed forces could not agree on it, NSAB chairman P S Raghavan said Tuesday.

He said the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is required in the country.

"A CDS is required in the country. Why we do not have a CDS is because the three services of armed forces could not agree and the government has been a little wary of pushing through a decision for which they feel the timing is not right. It is not this government that has not implemented, but other governments too," he said, while answering a question.

Speaking on National Security Institutions: Tackling Emerging Challenges, he said there is a need to make NSAB more relevant.

He also asserted that there is a need to have a public relations department that could share information with the public.

"I think one of the criticisms we had was that national security institutions are not sharing even what can be shared," he said.

Over the years, the NSAB has contributed a large number of studies on both current and long-term issues of strategic significance.

It produced a Draft Nuclear Doctrine in 2001, a Strategic Defence Review in 2002 and a National Security Review in 2007.

The first NSAB was set up in 1998 with K Subrahmanyam as its convener.

The 11-membered National Security Advisory Board consists of senior retired officials, civilians as well as military, academics and distinguished members of civil society drawn from and having expertise in Internal and External Security, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Science and Technology and Economic Affairs.