In an effort to improve higher defence management, the government on Wednesday constituted a new committee headed by the National Security Advisor.
According to a government notification, the Defence Planning Committee (DPC) headed by NSA Ajit Doval, will prepare a draft national security strategy, develop a capability development plan, work on defence diplomacy issues and improving defence manufacturing in India.
While the government sources said it was a major reform, many in the military were unimpressed. Critics pointed out that there was no dearth of committees in the defence sector.
The DPC will have the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, three service chiefs, secretaries of the ministries of defence, expenditure and foreign affairs as its members. The Chief of Integrated Staff in the MoD will be the member secretary of DPC, and his headquarters will be the secretariat for the committee.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Defence said the DPC will draft reports on national security strategy, international defence engagement strategy, roadmap to build defence manufacturing ecosystem, strategy to boost defence exports, and priority capability development plans.
The DPC will submit its reports to the Defence Minister.
The MoD order has listed out four sub-committees that will be created under the DPC: one to look at policy and strategy; the second one to work on plans and capability development; third one on defence diplomacy and the fourth on defence manufacturing ecosystem. Who all should be the members of these sub-committees will be decided by the DPC, which is expected to hold its first meeting soon after Mr. Doval returns from Germany on April 21, officials said.
