Department of Military Affairs

WHY IN NEWS?

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved the rules of business for the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA).

ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is the department in charge of military matters within the Ministry of Defence.
• Headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as its ex-officio secretary, the DMA provides integration between the armed forces of the Union and the Ministry of Defence.
• The DMA or “Sainya Karya Vibhag” is the fifth department in the MoD after Defence, Defence production, Defence R&D and Ex-servicemen welfare, all of which are headed by secretary-level civilian officials.
• 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/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.

Prelims Question

Q. Regarding Department of Military Affairs (DMA), which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It is headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
2. It will be staffed exclusively by military personnel
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question