The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) is the statutory office that heads the

Integrated Defence Staff The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces. It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy ...

(IDS), the principal inter-service syndicate of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

. Customarily held by a three-star officer nominated from either of India's three armed services, the CISC is the second-highest authority responsible for inter-service jointness, subordinate only to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). By function, the CISC is the executive-in-charge of the IDS, and thus, maintains oversight over inter-service coordination on crucial disciplines related to military functioning, specifically, intelligence, doctrine, joint planning, budgetary allocations and training. In addition, the CISC serves as a non-voting member of the

Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chiefs of Staff Committee (CSC) is composed of the most senior military personnel in the British Armed Forces, who advise on operational military matters and the preparation and conduct of military operations. The committee consists of the Ch ...

- of which the CDS is its Chairman; thus by definition, the CISC reports to the CDS, who is the final authority on military jointness. Domestically, the CISC ranks 23rd-overall in the

Indian order of precedence The order of precedence of the Republic of India is a list in which the functionaries, dignitaries and officials are listed for ceremonial purposes and has no legal standing and does not reflect the Indian presidential line of succession or the ...

and is the status-equivalent to the Vice Chiefs of Staff of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

, the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

and the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

; internationally, it is identical to Canada's Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and Spain's Chief of the Joint Defence Staff.

Description

Mandate

As the penultimate authority (second only to the CDS) tasked with the affairs of inter-service administration of the armed forces, the CISC participates in two crucial bodies: the

(COSC) and the

(IDS).

Chiefs of Staff Committee

The COSC is an inter-service syndicate of the armed forces, which functions as a principal advisory body dealing with matters related to inter-service coordination, policy formulation and strategy development. It comprises the CDS - who acts as its ''Permanent Chairman'' and the Chiefs of Staff of the three armed services; the CISC is also a member, albeit a non-voting one. * To supervise and control the IDS - which acts as the arm-cum-secretariat of the CDS and the COSC. * To chair the Defence Crisis Management Group. * To supervise the co-ordination of Long Range Plans, Five Years Plans and Annual Budgetary proposals for the three services and presenting coordinated set of proposals to Minister of Defence after discussion with Chiefs of Staff and the

Defence Secretary A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

. * To coordinate, analyze, assess and remove the impact of any discovered critical deficiencies on the three armed services. * To coordinate, conduct and plan inter-service training.

Vice Chief's Committee

In addition to the COSC, the CISC chairs the VCC, which comprises the Vice Chiefs of Staff of the three services; this being maintained since the status of CISC itself is deemed equivalent to that of a Vice Chief. * To deal with any and all inter-service issues. * To resolve inter-service disputes. * To provide military recommendations to the Ministry of Defence and

Cabinet Committee on Security The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is a cabinet committee of the Government of India that discusses, debates and is the final decision-making body on senior appointments in the national security apparatus, defence policy and expenditure, and ...

(CCS).

Structure

Since its inception in 2001 the office of CISC is held on a rotational basis by the three armed services, with a three-star officer being the customary occupant. Additionally, the CISC is assisted by the undermentioned subordinate officers, all of whom are also three-star officers: * Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Policy Planning and Force Development) - DCIDS (PP&FD). * Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine, Organisation and Training) - DCIDS (DOT). * Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) - DCIDS (OPS). * Director General Defence Intelligence Agency & Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence) - DGDIA & DCIDS (Int). * Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Medical Branch) - DCIDS (Med).

List of officeholders

List of CIDS by branches of service

Indian Army - 7
Indian Navy - 6
Indian Air Force - 4

References

External links

Official Website - CISC
{{Military of India Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force Indian military appointments