Realistic decision

Sir, - The decision to keep in abeyance the appointment of the Chief of the Defence Staff is a realistic one (May 24). There were a lot of arguments for and against the creation of this post, especially from the IAF and the Army.

The purpose of this post is to coordinate the three services' strategic policies and plans, sort out differences of opinion on various critical matters and advise the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.

To appoint an Admiral with no specialised qualification other than in hydrography, and a CNS of a little more than 60,000 officers and sailors, vis-a-vis over a 10 lakh Army and an Air Force of over a lakh, with both services operating from all over India and in close coordination, seems rather impractical. The decision on the appointment should be based purely on merit rather than on seniority or the colour of the uniform.

Air Cmde (Retd.) R.J.M. Upot,

Secunderabad

Sir,- The squabble over the issue of appointment of the CDS is pathetic. The persons concerned must understand that these reforms are initiated only to prevent the mandarins and Ministers from dabbling with defence deals. The Defence authorities are behaving in an ignominious fashion by overtly squabbling for the coveted post. That will send a wrong signal to the nation. Those in charge of Defence have already been proved corrupt and the punishment of Army officials testifies this. This throws serious doubts on the security of the nation.

Sankaran Vidyasagar,

Kochi

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