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Fernandes sets up panel to restructure defence ministry

Defence Minister George Fernandes is setting up a group to restructure his ministry.

According to a defence ministry spokesman, Fernandes decided to set up the group after the three services made presentations on the subject today.

The group will work out the details of "restructuring of the services and integration of the services and the ministry of defence".

Those who attended the presentations were army chief Gen V P Malik, navy chief Adm Sushil Kumar, air force chief ACM A Y Tipnis, Defence Secretary T R Prasad, Defence Production Secretary Prabir Sengupta, and Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, scientific adviser to the defence minister.

It was decided at Fernandes's meeting on Tuesday with the three service chiefs and senior defence ministry officials to have the presentations today. Foreign Secretary K Raghunath also attended that meeting.

Fernandes has promised a "wholly new structure" for the defence ministry by the end of January to ensure that the three services have a greater say in decision-making.

The move comes against the backdrop of complaints by the services of bureaucratic interference and the dismissal of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat as chief of naval staff for "deliberate defiance of the established system of Cabinet control over the defence forces".

Bhagwat's dismissal and former defence secretary Ajit Kumar's transfer had raised vital questions regarding co-ordination between the service chiefs and the bureaucracy.

Integrating the service headquarters with the defence ministry has been a long-standing demand of the armed forces. About three months ago, the defence minister had asked the three service chiefs to submit proposals to restructure the ministry.

Arguing strongly for restructuring the ministry, Gen Malik is understood to have stated in May 1998 that it is imperative to create the post of chief of defence staff and set up a defence intelligence agency for better co-ordination and collation of military intelligence.

The last major exercise for integrating the defence ministry with the armed forces was done in 1990 by then minister of state for defence Arun Singh. The Arun Singh Committee had recommended major restructuring of the ministry as a cost-saving measure. Action on the report is still awaited.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence in a report prepared in March 1996 had pointed out that the ministry is categorically opposed to its integration with the armed forces.

The basic grouse of the services is that the ministry has never addressed issues of primary concern to the forces with the urgency they demand.

In procurement of equipment, for instance, the time taken to arrive at a decision is very long. Despite the clearance of the respective service headquarters, the process of evaluation is reinitiated at the defence ministry with various levels of scrutiny before final clearance.

Fernandes recently approved the constitution of an Army Procurement Planning Board for capital acquisitions and similar boards for the navy and the air force.

While these changes have been welcomed, the services are not satisfied. They say better co-ordination calls for deputation of uniformed personnel in the ministry at senior levels because service officers will be able to pursue matters more closely, which in other words means a greater role for the services in decision-making.

UNI

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