Chief of Integrated Defence Staff
| Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
|---|---|
since 1 May 2025 | |
| Indian Armed Forces | |
| Type | Vice chief of defence |
| Status | Executive-in-charge of the Integrated Defence Staff. |
| Abbreviation | CISC |
| Member of |
|
| Reports to | Chief of Defence Staff |
| Seat | South Hutments, Kashmir House, Rajaji Marg, New Delhi |
| Appointer | Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Ministry of Defence |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | 1 October 2001 |
| First holder | Lieutenant General Pankaj Joshi PVSM, AVSM |
| Deputy | Deputy Chiefs of the Integrated Defence Staff (DCIDS) |
| Website | Official website |
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The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) is the statutory office that heads the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), the principal inter-service syndicate of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a three-star officer nominated from either of India's three armed services, the CISC is the second-highest authority responsible for inter-service jointness, subordinate only to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
By function, the CISC is the executive-in-charge of the IDS, and thus, maintains oversight over inter-service coordination on crucial disciplines related to military functioning, specifically, intelligence, doctrine, joint planning, budgetary allocations and training. In addition, the CISC serves as a non-voting member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee - of which the CDS is its Chairman; thus by definition, the CISC reports to the CDS, who is the final authority on military jointness.
Domestically, the CISC ranks 23rd-overall in the Indian order of precedence and is the status-equivalent to the Vice Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force; internationally, it is identical to Canada's Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and Spain's Chief of the Joint Defence Staff.