Nemam Natarajan Pasupathy asked: What role do the chiefs of Indian armed forces have in the strategic decision-making process of the government?

Alok Deb replies: The three Service Chiefs are invitees on various select committees constituted at the highest levels of government, which strategise on national security matters.

Recently, a new Defence Planning Committee (DPC) has been formed with the three Service Chiefs as members amongst others, with the mandate of formally preparing India's national security strategy and laying down time bound road maps for progressing various other connected matters. This Committee has had some preliminary meetings. It has four sub groups within which the overall responsibilities are to be divided. The composition of these sub committees should be announced soon.

This new organisation hopefully will be able to provide a clear direction for evolution of India's formalised national security strategy.

Posted on June 30, 2018