| |
DEFENCE: CDS CONTROVERSY
Air Battles
Air Chief Tipnis and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh
are on a path of confrontation on strategic issues. The logjam threatens
to turn serious.
By Shishir Gupta
Date: July 26, Kargil
Vijay Divas. Venue: Ashoka Hotel, Delhi. The victory celebrations had
ended and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was being escorted out by
Defence Minister Jaswant Singh, the three service chiefs and Defence Secretary
Yogendra Narain. Before leaving, Vajpayee asked Air Chief Marshal A.Y.
Tipnis about the "salute" controversy figuring in the media.
The prime minister was referring to Tipnis not saluting Pakistan President
Pervez Musharraf during the ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan
on July 14.
|
|
|
|
|
TANTRUMS: Tipnis wants more for the
IAF
|
| |
TIPNIS PROPOSES
|
| |
The IAF should have an equal share in the
new CDS structure. Not happy with army getting seven of the 15 newly
created major-general-level posts.
Believes the IAF will play a decisive role
in future conflicts. Wants proposed strategic control, including
nuclear delivery system, under its control.
Opposes the theatre commander concept in
which field commander reports directly to the CDS. Feels it won't
work in the Indian environment.
|
|
|
|
| |
CAUTION:
Jaswant is for consensus on key issues |
| |
JASWANT
DISPOSES |
| |
Approves appointment of major-general equivalent
vacancies on the basis of the numerical strength of each service
as agreed to by the three chiefs.
Believes strategic command should be a
joint structure. Places the Agni missile under army as it is a land-based
nuclear deterrent.
Approves the setting up of the Andaman
and Nicobar Command to test the concept of the theatre commander.
|
Tipnis apparently told the prime minister that
he decided not to salute Musharraf-chief architect of the Kargil war-as
he was overtaken by "sentiments". To which Vajpayee is said
to have replied that he also got sentimental when it came to Indo-Pakistani
relations. But, the prime minister advised, personal sentiment were best
set aside when it came to the larger national interests.
While Tipnis refuses to comment on the prime
minister's remarks, the incident was a reminder to him that his "sentiments"
were out of sync with the Government's. In a sense, the episode represented
a culmination of a chain of recent events where the Indian Air Force (IAF)
has had serious differences of opinion with the political establishment
on defence issues ranging from the chief of defence staff (CDS) to the
strategic command.
Although the differences between Jaswant and
Tipnis are nowhere as acrimonious as those between George Fernandes and
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, it is just that the IAF chief is seen to be playing
difficult by his counterparts in the other forces as well as Jaswant.
Four months before his retirement, Tipnis is championing a hardline iaf
approach to key issues, even if it entails going back on his own word.
In fact, a day before he decided not to salute Musharraf, Tipnis shot
off a letter to Jaswant, virtually saying that the IAF's views had not
been incorporated in the CDS structure proposal cleared by the defence
minister in the first week of July.
The air chief's letter apparently surprised
the defence minister as the proposal had the approval of the Chiefs of
Staff Committee (COSC), of which Tipnis is a member. In a meeting held
on June 19, Tipnis agreed to the proposal in the presence of the other
two chiefs and Arun Singh, adviser (Security) in the Defence Ministry.
He changed his mind and on June 28 sent the IAF's new views to the COSC.
These were forwarded to Jaswant along with the proposal, which the minister
cleared around July 9. The final note was sent to the Finance Ministry
for its concurrence. As certain IAF recommendations had not been accepted
by the ministry, Tipnis believed his earlier note had not been put up
to Jaswant. IAF sources claim that all Tipnis wanted to do was to get
across the air force's views to Jaswant again.
The gripe is over the ministry's proposal to
create 15 posts of major-general or equivalent rank in the CDS set-up.
The IAF wants these to be divided equally among the services. But the
COSC, working on a ratio based on the numerical strength of each service,
set aside seven posts for the army, leaving the navy and the air force
with four each. The other bone of contention is the Andaman and Nicobar
Command. The IAF wants the air element attached to this newly created
command to be headed by an air vice-marshal who reports directly to Air
Headquarters. On its part, the Defence Ministry, taking into consideration
the fact that the IAF has only three helicopters attached to the command,
has cleared an air commodore-rank appointment, with the air element placed
directly under the AN commander.
|
|
METRO TODAY
Web
Exclusives
