Vice Admiral (Retd.) K. K. Nayyar is a former Vice Chief of Naval Staff and is currently Chairman, National Maritime Foundation. He is also Chairman, Forum for Strategic and Security Studies.
There is no doubt that India requires a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) system for its higher defence management. Those who argue otherwise should revisit the Indian experience and realize that the worlds over militaries are getting to understand the inevitable necessity in today’s environment of having a CDS-like system.