What are the duties of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as Head of the Department of Military Affairs ?
- 1.Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee
- 2.Exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs
- 3.Principal Military Advisor to Defence Minister on all tri-service matters
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
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Answer: D. The Chief of Defence Staff is the permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on all tri-service matters. The CDS does not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs. So 1 and 3 only.
Watch for: 'Chief of Defence Staff' sounds like the top commander, but the post was designed without command over the Service Chiefs.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because the CDS does not command the three Service Chiefs.
- B. Wrong because the CDS has no military command over the Service Chiefs.
- C. Wrong because the CDS has no command role, and Statement 1 is also correct.
Source to check: PIB release, 'Cabinet approves creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff' (24 December 2019); Department of Military Affairs, Ministry of Defence
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.