CDS & THEATRES : ROLE ,FUNCTION & CONCEPT -Gp Capt AG Bewoor

Date:- 03 April 2026

1.There are a lot of unwarranted words and rhetoric in many peoples view about the new CDS, and indeed a great but unnatural speed to get the new person’s name revealed. What is the end game? Is it that CDS must be selected from one of the retiring chiefs? Will that work every time when one interpolates the date of retirement of the Chiefs and due date for a new CDS? Will the dates of retirement correspond to the guy the Govt / Veterans want to be CDS?  If that does not happen smoothly then tongues will wag. Let us accept that CDS is a post that is not for operational tasks. Armed Forces have been clamouring for it for years. But to do what? The original statement of case submitted to the Govt is not in the public domain, so what did Faujis want the CDS to do which the COSC was unable to do? Were we not imitating the UK / USA in demanding a CDS? So many of our illustrious officers have attended courses of instruction in these two countries. Many have held diplomatic appointments there. That is when they were infected by the CDS mantra. But observe the campaigns of these nations after 1945, stretching from Far East to Middle East and Far West in Falklands.  Each one an abject and embarrassing failure, but with always a CDS at the helm.  India on the other hand has fought many campaigns, small and large, without a CDS and without Theatres, and lo and behold, India won all of them.  Kya Baat Hai.  So, what was the essence and determinant of that staff paper for creating the CDS? Is there any possibility of those paragraphs becoming available for study? And what did Babus / Netas accept and decide to include in the Role, Responsibilities and Powers of the CDS? A comparison of those two documents will show what was the concept from the Armed Forces and what the Cabinet approved. Did we get what we wanted or did we accept the best they gave? 

2. If we make the CDS the Boss Verma (a very Air Force term), then what will the Chiefs do with their respective Service? If the COSC papers can go to RM / MOD thru CDS only, then what direct interaction and dialogue does the Chief have with his RM? It has to be the inherent right of any Chief to meet with his RM one-to-one. Observe, it is the Chief's right, and RM / Def Secy / CDS / cannot deny this. That trust and closeness between a Chief and the RM, has to exist, and needs to be nurtured. Today it is so. That is how MOD & COSC has to function for a safe and resilient India. The CDS cannot and does not come into this loop, and should not.

3. I will not comment elaborately on the Theatre concept which has been inserted in the stories about CDS. Ever since it was first mooted, by whoever it may have been, it was a bad idea right from the start. I reiterate, the Min of Foreign Affairs was never consulted and their views never sought. The impact of converting Commands into Theatres will have a deleterious impact on every neighbour of India. And, those apprehensions have to be managed by our ambassadors and their staff. The MOD / Armed Forces will draw circles and show Areas Of Responsibilities, and those circles will infringe onto neighbouring nations also; that paper aggression is what the embassy staff have to manage. The AOR of today's Commands does not do that, and this fact gives huge confidence to our contiguous nations that India’s military thinking is a Defensive Posture and not an Aggressive one. It is a rationalised attitude towards self-defence and is not expansive and overbearing. India is no longer looked at as a feeble entity in thought and intent. We have shown resilience as well as violent hostility when demanded. Yet our ability to restrict and control ourselves has been abundantly proven on every occasion. All this achieved by the 17 Command HQs of the three Services, who have never behaved unreasonably and out of Control of the COSC / MOD. Why in heaven's name must we demolish this long-standing image of India? We have successfully fought the 1971 war and everything thereafter with our Commands, including IPKF, Kargil, Cactus, Sindoor and Covid. Yet we talk of Theatres?  Small nations must inherently be suspicious of a big neighbour. We are in such a situation with China are we not? And we keep justifying our suspicion, and China gratefully does foolish things to buttress those suspicions. Our offensive actions are never condemned as inflammatory. We are able to prove that they were reactions and were never initiated by India. All done under Commands with COSC / RM / MOD working in tandem. Yet we keep prattling about Theatres? Amazing!  

4. Heartburn among many about who will become the next CDS is expected. To have favourites is a malaise in all societies, but has to be curbed.  Let us not get emotional about who should become CDS. Keep in mind what the CDS can and cannot do. What is his job description? He is often referred to as First Among Equals. May look terrific on paper and on TV, but he cannot and dare not overrule any decision taken by a Chief. The Chief's decision is not a singular activity, he has discussed it with his staff, his Field Commanders, his PSOs, the impacts have been studied and questioned by many before the final decision is taken and conveyed. Additionally, the plan / prog / scheme has been scrutinised at CDS level also. Chiefs are not in conflict with CDS, but the Chief is the Chief. He holds the executive powers given to him by parliament. Whether the new CDS is an ex-chief or not, he is now a CDS and not a super-chief. By now have we not understood and absorbed the limitations of the CDS? Those limitations have been inserted into the system to ensure that he does not step beyond his Red Line. The CDS knows the Line, and the Chiefs know about it too. Everyone knows it except those who refuse to look at it for what it is. And it will remain as such, and must remain as such. The CDS is not the Paramguru. He is a part of the system, he does not command & control the system.

5. We do not want to copy the UK / USA / German/ Japanese / Chinese / Australian / Canadian / Brazilian / French systems. All these nations do not have enemies at their doorstep, like we do. These nations live in the benign safety of a region that has settled down after centuries of self-generated wars. We want and need a system that resolves our unique and very complex defence demands; with a population that is pretty much unconcerned with what happens, as long as they don't get hurt. Extremely selfish and disinterested in the mechanics of defending India is how one can define Indians. They have never been inducted into the scheme of things that make India safe. We have inherited this state of affairs from British India. The rulers kept Indian safe, the Gora Saab was replaced by the Desi Saab, the Indian crores said terrific. Sadly, the administration and the Faujis themselves encouraged this mind set; and here we are close to 80 years as a free land, without an iota of participation by the rich / poor / able / unconcerned / disinterested / lazy / powerful men & women, of our land. Of the 143 crores who inhabit this nation, what percentage are even bothered to enquire, yeh CDS kya bala hai?  The youth are so deeply intertwined with their fancy mobiles and pleasures that to expect them to even think about national defence is foolish. It is not the miniscule number of boys / girls who don the uniform that matter; it is the multitudes in non-military dress who need to engage in and ask, what makes Indian Defence Throb? Why can I do whatever I want to do, freely and safely?  How can I get associated with this complex defence drama because it keeps me safe? There are no takers.

6. In this environment, the govt of the day cannot alter the situation, not today, not 15 yrs back, and certainly not by 2040, thus our focus should be on more important factors than who will be CDS. The veteran should look at the Chiefs and their wherewithal. That is where the attn of the analysts should be. That's what matters, not the CDS. Sindoor 2, supposedly in progress, is being scheduled and controlled by the Chiefs, as it has to be. I am very sorry if this truth alarms readers, but that is how it is happening is it not? Have the Indian Armed Forces suffered because of this strange equation? Possibly a little, but mostly the Faujis have got what they need via the DMA and Office of CDS. It is working, let it continue to work for us. Do not bring NFU / OROP / DA / CSD limits / Single Malt and such diversionary elements onto the canvas. Sitting in our safe homes, in relative contentment with a long hot summer ahead of us, let those who have to decide who will succeed Gen Chauhan, decide. Do not get riled and exasperated that what you want to happen is not happening; it will not happen. The appointment of the next CDS will never please everyone, and the MOD / PMO / Cabinet / Parliament / Babus could not be bothered. Why are we unable to digest this truth? 

7. The CDS is not the proverbial Kamadenu cow or Kalpavriksha tree. Why are we expecting from the CDS what he is not designed to give?  Remember that in most cases, Discontent is Always Senseless. In all cases and especially in the military; character is much more important than experience and brains. A man may be able to conquer, but is he capable of running an empire? That is what we want from a Chief or CDS, to run his empire. We need a CDS who can be trusted more than celebrated. Many times, we declare other people's washing as dirty, that is because we are seeing it thru our unclean windows. Analysts have already made up their minds before they write or speak; so, if you think you are a Hammer; then every problem is a Nail, and from Pencil Warriors we have become Keyboard Commandos. Dispassionate and unfiltered assessment without seeking too much from a system or a person will make things clear; when we walk, we do not look at the Sun, but we must have Sunlight to see. We want big things to do work for us with much pomp and noise, look closely what is truly valuable is often, very small. The marriage between the COSC and the CDS along with MOD may truly be a very happy one, but it is the Living Together that is Tough. They are managing are they not? Why are we fingering the Union? It is not broken, why are we trying to fix it? 

8. There is so much anger and frustration in these articles about NFU, OROP, CDS, Seniority being Sacrosanct, get 126 Fighters now; but how can we ever forget that, we can be Very Angry and also Very Wong at the Same Time. Because Anger is an Acid that harms the Vessel it is Stored in much more, than the person it is poured upon. Truly, the CDS is an important man in the equation. It was a novelty when Rawat became CDS, then there was a big gap, but DMA continued with whatever was there. Now Chauhan will retire and a new man will be appt from 01 June. There may very well be a delay, so what? Far too many of us are angry and frustrated that their well thought concept of priority, is disregarded. How dare the Govt of India not do what a veteran wants it to do? After all he knows best. How often did the colonel listen to his 2 I/C and Company Cdrs or JCOs? How often did he do the bidding of his Bde /Div Cdrs against his better judgment? MVI is a very good place to empty out one's spleen and get rid of the Bile that should not have accumulated in the first place.  If you know what can & cannot be done by whom, when and why, the bile gets discharged on a daily basis. It is easy to make a jest of what our political leaders are doing, they stand exposed in full public view. What is missing is the appreciation of what is primary for Govt and what is secondary. NFU, DA, CDS and what irritates our veterans is the lowest in priority. Political leadership has to work towards getting elected, and not flounder while doing that. You and I are chota pegs which can be forgotten about, when we let this sink in, the frustration and anger will evaporate.