| Post: | Chief |
| Body: | Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee |
| Flag: | Flag of Integrated Defence Staff.svg |
| Flagsize: | 170px |
| Flagborder: | yes |
| Incumbent: | Lieutenant General Johnson P Mathew |
| Acting: | N |
| Incumbentsince: | 3 April 2023 |
| 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[1] |
| Appointer: | Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Ministry of Defence |
| Termlength: | No fixed term |
| First: | Lieutenant General Pankaj Joshi |
| Deputy: | Deputy Chiefs of the Integrated Defence Staff (DCIDS)[2] |
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.[3] 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).[4]
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.[5] 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.[5]
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.[6]
The CISC is a Three-star rank officer from the three Services in rotation. The CISC reports to the Chief of Defence Staff in New Delhi. He is assisted by the following five Principal Staff Officers (all three-star appointments) who head the various branches within the IDS.