The Hindu : National : Joint armed services doctrine under way

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 01, 2004

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National

Joint armed services doctrine under way

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI, NOV. 30. After unveiling separate war doctrines, the three armed services are planning to come out with the first-ever joint services doctrine. Being drafted by the recently set up office of the Combined Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS), the joint doctrine will be ready within a year. ``It is not an easy exercise,'' the Chief of the Naval Staff, Arun Prakash, said.

Responding to a query on whether a developing nation could afford three separate doctrines, Admiral Prakash said the three service chiefs were aware that an effective war could not be waged without assistance from the other services. ``There is no choice. We have to synergise,'' he said.

Pointing out that several countries, including the U.K., had three separate doctrines as well as a combined one, Admiral Prakash said the armed forces had been thinking of a joint services doctrine for some time but ``action had been a bit slow. The task with CIDS is very much on hand.'' While the Navy released its doctrine in the middle of this year, the Army unveiled the non-operational portion of its doctrine this month. The Air Force has come out with two doctrines and unconfirmed reports suggest that it recently updated the latest one.

`Sea blindness'

Admiral Prakash blamed ``sea blindness'' and ``200 years of cultural problem'' for the inadequate attention to the needs of the Navy. ``There is much happening at sea. We should take serious note of that,'' he said at the customary interaction with newspersons before Navy Day which falls on December 4. However, the Navy's share of the defence budget for the current fiscal was sufficient for the projects at hand, he added.

India and the U.S. were about to finalise an agreement for assisting Indian submarines. ``We are close to finalising an agreement with the U.S. Navy for rescue of Indian submarines in case of distress. This is largely a humanitarian gesture. We neither need nor require such facilities in other areas,'' said Admiral Prakash. The arrangement would last till India purchased deep-sea rescue vessels.

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