On 1 January 2020, General Bipin Rawat became the first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of India after retiring as the Chief of Army Staff. Similarly, seven decades earlier in 1949, the U.S. created the post of Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) as part of post-World War II defense reforms. Nonetheless, it took the U.S. almost another four decades to enact the landmark Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986 to foster Jointness in their armed forces. The author draws suitable lessons for the Indian Armed Forces from the U.S. experience by comparing the evolution of Jointness in the U.S. and Indian Armed Forces. The thesis, based on this comparison, recommends doctrinal and organizational measures to ensure that the appointment of CDS becomes India's Goldwater-Nichols moment and not the CJCS moment. The author utilizes the operational design framework to develop a doctrinal and organizational approach to Jointness in the Indian Armed Forces. The doctrinal approach recommends three lines of effort: issuing comprehensive doctrine primer, establishing doctrine centers, and improving Jointness in the doctrinal process. Likewise, the organizational approach comprises three lines of effort: updating current joint doctrines, clarifying policies on joint forces, and establishing a specific role for the CDS.

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