A crucial new Army post, the operational need for which came to the fore during the 73-day troop stand-off at Doklam with China in 2017. Action is still missing due to bureaucratic hurdles. The defence ministry’s finance wing have slowed down the approval process for the post of Deputy Chief of Army Staff. Even as the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh crossed the 100-day mark last week.
The Army has raised with defence minister Rajnath Singh about the issue of “operationally required and revenue-neutral” proposal being stymied despite it having no financial implications or additional manpower requirements. “The DCOAS (S) post was to be created in lieu of another Lt-General post, the director-general of Rashtriya Rifles, which the Army has already suppressed (done away with),” they said.
As per the plan, the DCOAS (S) was to have the directors-general of military operations, military intelligence, operational logistics, perspective planning and information warfare under him at the Army headquarters.
This will ensure institutionalized seamless coordination to handle the massive operations, plans and logistics required by the 13-lakh force during a major border crisis, instead of the existing system of “an ad hoc steering committee” swinging into action.
The Army headquarters restructuring also entailed shifting out of 206 officers —three major generals, eight brigadiers, nine colonels and 186 lieutenant colonels and majors — to operational field formations.
