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:

Answer: D. CDS duties include statements 1 and 3; statement 2 is wrong. The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created in January 2020 by the Modi government as the four-star single-point military advisor. Statement 1 is CORRECT. The CDS is the PERMANENT CHAIRMAN of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (the chairmanship was earlier rotational among the three service chiefs). Statement 2 is WRONG. The CDS does NOT exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs. The three Service Chiefs (Army, Navy, Air Force) retain command over their respective services. CDS acts as a coordinator and tri-service advisor, not a commander above them. Statement 3 is CORRECT. The CDS serves as the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all tri-service matters, including operations, logistics, training and human resources. Source: Ministry of Defence press release on CDS creation (Cabinet decision December 2019).