Distinguish between the Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Defence. How has this bifurcation affected civil-military relations in India?
Q. Distinguish between the Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Defence. How has this bifurcation affected civil-military relations in India? (15 marks, 250 words)
Following the Kargil Review Committee and Naresh Chandra Task Force, the Cabinet in 2019 created the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) as the fifth department of the Ministry of Defence in 2020 [1][2]. This split reorganised, rather than displaced, the older Department of Defence (DoD).
Basis of distinction
| Feature | DMA | DoD |
|---|---|---|
| Head | CDS (four-star, uniformed Secretary) [3] | Defence Secretary (civilian, IAS) |
| Mandate | Army, Navy, Air Force, TA, IHQ; jointness, theaterisation, revenue procurement [2] | Defence policy, higher management, capital acquisitions [4] |
| Focus | Tri-service integration, war-fighting | Civilian oversight, budgeting, coordination |
- DMA embeds a military voice at Secretary rank for the first time; DoD retains overall policy and capital-budget control [4].
Impact on civil-military relations
- Positive: Uniformed officers now co-author decisions in South Block, narrowing the historic civil-military distance and speeding tri-service theaterisation [2].
- Concern: Overlapping jurisdictions between two Secretaries risk turf friction; capital acquisitions staying with DoD preserves civilian financial primacy [4].
- Balance: The Defence Secretary's status is undiminished, so civilian supremacy—a constitutional norm—remains intact even as military expertise gains institutional weight [1].
The bifurcation marks a maturing, not a dilution, of civilian control: it fuses professional military judgment with political accountability. Institutionalising clear DMA–DoD demarcation and completing theaterisation will let this reform fully realise the jointness envisioned by the Kargil Committee.
(~250 words)
Sources: 1. Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (PIB, 2019) — origins, four-star rank, civilian-control framing 2. Creation of New Department of Military Affairs (PIB, 2019) — DMA as fifth department; jointness, revenue procurement, theaterisation mandate 3. General NS Raja Subramani assumes charge as CDS & Secretary DMA (PIB, 2026) — CDS heads DMA as Secretary 4. Functions of Chief of Defence Staff (PIB, 2019) — capital acquisitions retained by DoD; DMA scope