New Delhi: In what may appear to be heading towards becoming another government ministry run by bureaucrats, the newly-created Department of Military Affairs headed by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat will have 37 officers at secretary level which would comprise two joint secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries and 22 under secretaries.

“Under the newly-created Department of Military Affairs headed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, there will be two Joint Secretaries, 13 Deputy Secretaries and 22 Under Secretaries,” official sources said.

As per a gazette notification issued by the government last December, a new Department of Military Affairs or ‘Sainya Karta Vibhag’ will be headed by General Rawat.

The new department is an addition to the four existing verticals in the Union Defence Ministry –the departments of defence, defence research, defence production and development and ex-service welfare.

The notification said that the new department would handle the armed forces, integrated headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, the territorial army, procurement exclusive to services except capital acquisitions and jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.

It will facilitate the restructuring of military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through the establishment of joint and theatre commands.

The department will also work towards promoting the use of indigenous equipment by the services at a time when the armed forces are heavily dependent on imported military hardware.

The department will be staffed by a mix of civilian and military officers.