Ministry of Defence

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Ministry of Defence provides the policy framework & wherewithal to Armed Forces to discharge their responsibility in the context of the defence of the country. The three Departments in the Ministry of Defence are as under:

(i) Department of Defence: It is concerned with the three Services and various Inter-Service Organisations and is also responsible for the Defence Budget, establishment matters, defence policy, matters relating to Parliament, defence co-operation with foreign countries and coordination of all activities.

(ii) Department of Defence Production and Supplies: It deals with matters pertaining to defence production, indigenisation of imported stores, equipment and spares, planning and control of departmental production units of the Ordnance Factory Board and for Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Directorate General of Quality Assurance.

(iii) Department of Defence Research and Development: Its function is to advise the Government on scientific aspects of military equipments and logistics and the formulation of research, design and development plans for equipment used by the Services.

1.2 There is also a Finance Division in the Ministry of Defence which is headed by Financial Advisor (Defence Services). He exercises financial control over proposals involving expenditure from the Defence Budget and is responsible for internal audit and accounting of defence expenditure. In the latter task, he is assisted by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA).

1.3 There are a number of Committees which assist Raksha Mantri in defence related activities. One of these is Chiefs of Staff Committee which deals with the matters having a bearing on the activities of all three Services.



Reforms in Management of Defence

1.5 In pursuance of recommendation of the Group of Ministers, various reforms in the Management of Defence have been introduced. As a result of these reforms, several new structures have been created in the Ministry of Defence, viz., Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters, Defence Intelligence Agency, Defence Acquisition Council, Defence Technology Council, Tri-Service Andaman & Nicobar Command and Strategic Forces Command. Further the decisions flowing from Defence Acquisition Council are implemented by Defence Procurement Board, Defence Production Board and Defence Research & Development Board.