Pune: A chief of defence staff, establishment of an integrated theatre command, a special operations command, an independent cyber command and restructuring of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are some of the key recommendations that, members of the Lt Gen D B Shekatkar committee feel, have been left untouched by MoD bureaucrats despite the attention they deserved.

The 11-member committee, comprising Lt Gen, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral rank officers and officials from MoD’s finance department, was appointed to go into the issue of major reforms in armed forces for enhancing operational capability and reducing unwanted expenditure. The committee submitted its report in 2016.

A senior MoD official, who did not wish to be named, told TOI over phone on Monday, “The ministry has found that only 99 recommendations are relevant for the armed forces.”

Committee chairman, Lt Gen D B Shekatkar (retd), said, “What we have learnt that there are a few elements in MoD who are reluctant to implement the report in toto as the same would mean threat to their turfs and, most importantly, personal interests. I am sure the leadership will understand their hidden agenda and not allow the process to be subverted,” said Shekatkar.

The committee had also suggested reduction in manpower of DRDO, CDA, DGDE, MES and other defence establishments. “We have suggested shut down of 14 DRDO laboratories,” he said.

