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Adding yet another controversial twist to the on going tussle for appointment to the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar has withdrawn from the race.
In a confidential letter to Defence Minister Jaswant Singh, Admiral Kumar has categorically stated that he may not be considered for the post of CDS.
Admiral Kumar's letter is an indication of his unhappiness over unsubstantiated media reports about his impending appointment as CDS, rumours of him jockeying for the post and the intense pressures and pulls for the post.
Reliable sources confirmed that the defence minister had not yet reacted to the letter, which was sent early this week.
Admiral Kumar is believed to have told the government that he is opting out of the race because he wants to discharge his duties as the Naval chief without any interference and he doesn't want to be pulled into the rigmarole of politicking for the post of CDS.
Admiral Kumar, by virtue of being the seniormost of the three service chiefs, would be the first CDS should the government implement the recommendation of the Arun Singh Committee on reforms in the defence forces.
Constituted after the K Subrahmanyam committee submitted its report on the Kargil war, the Arun Singh committee had suggested integration of defence headquarters with the ministry and appointment of a CDS for more coordinated action by the three services.
Under its recommendations, CDS is supposed to be the policy maker for the three services, single point military advisor to the government, commander of the nuclear arsenal and the one to create joint commands for future battles.
As the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee, where the three service chiefs are members, Admiral Kumar is expected to play a crucial role in preparing the entire higher defence structure for the appointment of CDS.
CDS is expected to crucially alter the power structure in the defence ministry where, as of now, the bureaucracy has an upper hand in decision making. Concerned about losing their influence, the mandarins are opposed to the move to appoint a CDS.
Recently, the government announced that it would appoint the CDS after due political consultations. However, skeptics suspect the move was aimed at scuttling the crucial appointment.
The CDS is expected to create tri-service commands by bringing together the existing individual commands of the three services.
At present the army, navy and air force have separate commands in various regions. Officials here liken the move to theater commands of the United States of America.
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