Integrated Defence Staff

The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Ministry of External Affairs, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Finance. The IDS is headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff along with Deputy Chiefs of Integrated Defence Staff. The body advises and assists the Chief of Defence Staff. On December 24, 2019 the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) established the post of Chief of Defence Staff, a four-star general, a tri-service Chief, that shall lead the defence forces as well as play the role of head of the Department of Military Affairs.

Role and Responsibilities
Roles of the IDS includes facilitating the efficient functioning of multi-service bodies such as the Defence Satellite Control Centre (Integrated Space Cell), providing secretarial and domain expertise to the Minister of Defence in all proposals of capital defence procurements and providing the building of cooperation through intra-service deliberations for procurements, joint doctrines, joint training and common procedures. The Defence Cyber Agency, the Defence Space Agency, and the Armed Forces Special Operations Division will function under the IDS. These three agencies are expected to become operational by November 2019.

The colour of jointmanship of the three services is purple, hence, the term 'Purple Fraternity' is applied to their ranks.

History
Post-independence, a military wing was created inside the Cabinet Secretariat. The wing was later shifted to the Ministry of Defence. The wing was headed by Joint Secretary (Military), a major general (or equivalent)-level officer, who was responsible for keeping the Cabinet Secretary informed through the Defence Secretary about defence-related issues and had various other responsibilities including on coordination-related matters.

The Defence Planning Staff was established under the Ministry of Defence in 1986 to provide assistance to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Comprising representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence (including onescientist from the Defence Research and Development Organisation) and the Ministry of Finance, the organisation was headed by Director General Defence Planning Staff (DG DPS), a lieutenant general (or equivalent)-level position held in rotation by the threeservices, and had fivedivisions. The DG DPS had the status of a vice chief of staff.

After the Kargil War between India and Pakistan, the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) was set up by the Government of India on 29July1999 under the chairpersonship of retired Indian Administrative Service officer and former Defence Production Secretary, K. Subrahmanyam. The committee submitted its report to the prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on 7January2000 and was tabled in the Parliament of India on 23February2000.

Following KRC's report, a group of ministers (GoM) was set up on 17April2000 to consider the recommendations in the Kargil Review Committee Report, as well as to review national security more thoroughly. The GoM consisted of L. K. Advani, George Fernandes, Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, the ministers of home affairs, defence, external affairs and finance, respectively. Brajesh Mishra, National Security Advisor, was assigned as a special guest to the meetings of the GoM and the Cabinet Secretariat (National Security Council Secretariat) provided any help required. The GoM came out with its own report, "Reforming the National Security System". The GoM report was submitted by them to Prime Minister Vajpayee on 26February2001.

Pursuant to the recommendations of the KRC and GoM, as well as prior recommendations by the Standing Committee on Defence of the Parliament of India, the Government of India constituted the Integrated Defence Staff under the Ministry of Defence through a notification on 23November2001. The Defence Planning Staff and the Military Wing inside the Ministry of Defence were merged into IDS.

IDS celebrates its raising day on 1October every year, 2018 being the 18th.

Organisational structure
The body is headed by the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff who has a status equivalent to that of a vice chief of staff. It consists of various branches, divisions and directorates. The CIDS is assisted by various staff officers, designated deputy chiefs of integrated staff, who are lieutenant general (or equivalent)-level officers and head different branches. An assistant chief of integrated defence staff—major general (or equivalent)-level officer—heads a division whilst a deputy assistant chief of integrated staff heads a directorate. The organisation is staffed by officers and personnel from the threeservices, together with officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Defence Accounts Department and the Defence Research and Development Organisation of the Ministry of Defence.

Headquarters
The Headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) is located in New Delhi. The Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), its secretariat and certain other components are situated in South Block, Secretariat Building, New Delhi. The major portion of the HQ IDS is located in Kashmir House, New Delhi. The HQ IDS functions as the secretariat to the chairman of COSC.

The new HQ Integrated Defence Staff building complex is at Mehram Nagar, Delhi Cantonment.

Integrated inter-services cyber security agency
In January 2019, the government announced that it was in the process of setting up an integrated inter-services cyber security agency under IDS which will pool resources from all branches of military and specifically look at threats from the cyber domain.