{{Short description|Indian Defence Secretary}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}} {{Infobox official post | post = Defence Secretary | body = India | native_name = ''भारत के रक्षा सचिव'' | flag = Flag of India.svg | flagsize = 110 | flagborder = yes | flagcaption = Flag of India | insignia = Emblem_of_India.svg | insigniasize = 50px | insigniacaption = Emblem of India | reports_to = Defence Minister | residence = 15, New Moti Bagh, New Delhi<ref name=":Defence Secy. residence">{{Cite web|url=http://mod.nic.in/sites/default/files/Detailsrm.pdf|title=Telephone numbers and addresses of top executives in Defence Ministry|access-date=October 10, 2017}}</ref> | seat = Ministry of Defence<br />South Block, Cabinet Secretariat<br />Raisina Hill<br />New Delhi | appointer = Appointments Committee of the Cabinet | appointer_qualified = | termlength = {{raise|0.0em|Two years, term can be extended.}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/02/09/stories/2005020906041100.htm|title=Fixed tenure planned for Home, Defence Secretaries|last=Khare|first=Harish|date=February 8, 2005|website=The Hindu|access-date=January 10, 2018}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/22fixed.htm|title=Fixed tenure for defence, home secretaries|date=September 22, 2005|website=Rediff.com|access-date=January 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/fixed-tenure-for-defence-home-secretaries/324513|title=Fixed tenure for Defence, Home Secretaries|date=September 22, 2005|website=Outlook|access-date= January 17, 2018}}</ref> | incumbent = Rajesh Kumar Singh, IAS | incumbentsince = 1st November, 2024 | image = File:Rajesh Kumar Singh, Defence Secretary.jpg | imagesize = 200px | succession = | inaugural = G. S. Bhalja, ICS | formation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1947|07|21}} | member_of = Strategic Policy Group<br />Committee of Secretaries on Administration<br />Defence Acquisition Council<br />Defence Planning Committee<br />Defence Procurcement Board (as ''Chairman'')<br />Defence Production Board<br />Defence Research and Development Organisation | salary = {{INRConvert|225000}} monthly<ref name="7 Pay Commission Report" /><ref name=":India Today 7CPC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/7th-pay-commission-cleared-what-is-pay-commission-how-does-it-effect-our-pockets-16980-2016-06-29|title=7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?|date=June 29, 2016|editor-last=Biswas|editor-first=Shreya|website=India Today|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref> | website = {{URL|http://www.mod.nic.in/|Official Website}} | department = 25px|border|Ministry of Defence (India) Ministry of Defence }} {{Politics of India}} The '''defence secretary''' (ISO: ''Rakṣā Saciv'') is the administrative head of the Ministry of Defence. This post is held by a senior Indian Administrative Service officer of the rank of secretary to the Government of India. The current defence secretary is Shri. Rajesh Kumar Singh IAS.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-16 |title=Govt appoints Rajesh Kumar Singh as Defence Secretary |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/govt-appoints-rajesh-kumar-singh-as-defence-secretary-441840-2024-08-16 |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=Business Today |language=en}}</ref>
As a secretary to the Government of India, the Defence Secretary ranks 23rd on Indian order of precedence, along with all other secretaries to the Government of India, and lieutenant generals in the grade of army commander.<ref name="rajyasabha2">{{cite web|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/guidline_govt_mp/chap11.pdf|title=Order of Precedence|date=July 26, 1979|work=Rajya Sabha|publisher=President's Secretariat|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref>
== Powers, responsibilities and postings == {{Indian Armed Forces sidebar}} The defence secretary is the administrative head of the Ministry of Defence, and is the principal adviser to the minister of defence on all matters of policy and administration within the Ministry of Defence.<ref name="CSMOP India">{{cite web|url=http://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/CSMOP_0_0.pdf|title=Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure - 14th Edition (2015)|publisher=Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension|page=6|access-date=15 November 2016}}</ref>
The role of defence secretary is as follows: * To act as the administrative head of the Ministry of Defence. The responsibility in this regard is complete and undivided.<ref name="Governance India">{{cite book|title=Governance in India|last=Laxmikanth|first=M.|publisher=McGraw Hill Education|year=2014|isbn=978-9339204785|location=Noida|pages=3.1–3.10 |edition=2nd }}</ref> * To act as the chief adviser to the defence minister on all aspects of policy and administrative affairs.<ref name="Governance India" /> * To represent the Ministry of Defence before the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of India.<ref name="Governance India" /> * The defence secretary is responsible for coordinating the activities of the other departments (Department of Defence Production, Department of Military Affairs, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and Department of Defence Research and Development) in the Ministry of Defence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mod.gov.in/dod/about-department-defence-0|title=About DoD|website=Department of Defence, Government of India|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> * To act as the first among equals among the secretaries in the Ministry of Defence.
== Emolument, accommodation and perquisites == The defence secretary is eligible for a diplomatic passport. The official earmarked residence of the defence secretary is 7, New Moti Bagh, New Delhi, a Type-VIII bungalow.<ref name=":Defence Secy. residence" />
The salary and emolument in this rank is equivalent<ref name="Army Pay Rules2">{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.nic.in/sites/default/files/ArmyPayRules.pdf|title=Army Pay Rules, 2017|date=May 3, 2017|work=Ministry of Defence, Government of India|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref> to chief secretaries of state governments and to Vice Chief of the Army Staff/GOC-in-C and its equivalents in the Indian Armed Forces.<ref name="Army Pay Rules2" /> {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="margin: 1ex 0 1ex 1ex; " |+'''Defence secretary monthly pay and allowances''' !Base salary as per the 7th Pay Commission (per month) !Pay matrix level !Sources |- |{{INRConvert|225000}} |Pay level 17 |<ref name="7 Pay Commission Report">{{cite web|url=http://7cpc.india.gov.in/pdf/sevencpcreport.pdf|title=Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India|publisher=Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120092637/http://7cpc.india.gov.in/pdf/sevencpcreport.pdf|archive-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=August 13, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":India Today 7CPC" /> |}
== List of defence secretaries == {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" |+List of defence secretaries !S. No. !Portrait !Name !Assumed office !Demitted office |- |1 | |[https://sites.google.com/view/wikisearch-com/home G. S. Bhalja] |21 July 1947 |6 October 1947 |- |2 | 60px |H. M. Patel |7 October 1947 |20 July 1953 |- |3 | |B. B. Ghosh |21 July 1953 |12 November 1953 |- |4 | 60px |M. K. Vellodi |13 November 1953 |13 June 1957 |- |5 | |O. Pulla Reddy |14 June 1957 |21 November 1962 |- |6 | |P. V. R. Rao |21 November 1962 |3 April 1965 |- |7 | |A. D. Pandit |4 April 1965 |4 August 1965 |- |(5) | |P. V. R. Rao |5 August 1965 |31 December 1966 |- |8 | |V. Shankar |1 January 1967 |2 November 1968 |- |9 | |H. C. Sarin |3 November 1968 |7 December 1970 |- |10 | |K. B. Lall |8 December 1970 |18 May 1973 |- |11 | |Govind Narain |19 May 1973 |31 May 1975 |- |12 | |D. R. Kohli |1 June 1975 |31 March 1977 |- |13 | |Gian Prakash |4 April 1977 |26 March 1978 |- |14 | |S. Banerjee |27 March 1978 |3 July 1979 |- |15 | |J. A. Dave |9 July 1979 |10 April 1980 |- |16 | |K. P. A. Menon |5 May 1980 |11 August 1981 |- |17 | |P. K. Kaul |12 August 1981 |30 June 1983 |- |18 | |S. M. Ghosh |26 July 1983 |25 June 1984 |- |19 | |S. K. Bhatnagar |6 July 1984 |31 May 1988 |- |20 | 60px |T. N. Seshan |1 June 1988 |22 February 1989 |- |21 | 60px |Naresh Chandra |22 February 1989 |21 March 1990 |- |22 | 60px |Narinder Nath Vohra |21 March 1990 |6 April 1993 |- |23 | |K. A. Nambiar |6 April 1993 |6 June 1996 |- |24 | |T. K. Banerjee |5 August 1996 |31 May 1997 |- |25 | |Ajit Kumar |31 May 1997 |1 January 1999 |- |26 | |T. R. Prasad |1 January 1999 |20 October 2000 |- |27 | |Yogendra Narain |20 October 2000 |30 June 2002 |- |28 | |Subir Dutta |20 June 2002 |4 July 2003 |- |29 | |Ajay Prasad |14 July 2003 |30 June 2004 |- |30 | |Ajai Vikram Singh |1 July 2004 |31 July 2005 |- |31 | 60px |Shekhar Dutt |1 August 2005 |31 July 2007 |- |32 | 60px |Vijay Singh |1 August 2007 |31 July 2009 |- |33 | 60px |Pradeep Kumar |1 August 2009 |14 July 2011 |- |34 | 60px |Shashi Kant Sharma |14 July 2011 |{{dts|2013|5|24}} |- |35 | 60px |R. K. Mathur |{{dts|2013|5|25}} |{{dts|2015|5|24}} |- |36 | 60px |G. Mohan Kumar |{{dts|2015|5|25}} |{{dts|2017|5|24}} |- |37 | 60px |Sanjay Mitra |{{dts|2017|5|25}} |{{dts|2019|8|22}} |- |38 | 60px |Ajay Kumar |{{dts|2019|8|23}} |{{dts|2022|10|31}} |- |39 | 60px |Giridhar Aramane |{{dts|2022|11|1}} |{{dts|2024|10|31}} |- |40 | 60px |Rajesh Kumar Singh |{{dts|2024|11|1}} |''Incumbent'' |}
== See also == * Cabinet Secretary of India * Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing * Home Secretary of India * Foreign Secretary of India * Finance Secretary of India
== References == {{reflist}}
== Bibliography == {{Refbegin|30em}} * {{cite book|title=Indian Administration|last=Maheshwari|first=S.R.|publisher=Orient Blackswan Private Ltd.|year=2000|edition=6th |isbn=9788125019886|location=New Delhi}} * {{cite book|title=Governance in India|last=Laxmikanth|first=M.|publisher=McGraw Hill Education|year=2014|edition=2nd |isbn=978-9339204785|location=Noida}} {{refend}}
{{Military of India}} {{Union ministries of India}}
Category:Central Civil Services (India) Category:Indian government officials Category:Indian Administrative Service officers Category:Ministry of Defence (India)