Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lighting the lamp at 83rd Armed Forces Headquarters Civilian Services Day celebrations, in New Delhi on August 1, 2024. The Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth is also seen.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called upon the personnel of the Armed Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) Civilian Services to continue enhancing their skills in today's fast-changing times for efficient policy making and implementation & execution of reforms being undertaken in the Ministry of Defence (MoD). He was addressing the 83rd AFHQ Civilian Services Day in New Delhi on August 1, 2024.

Describing civil services as the steel frame of governance, the Defence Minister commended the dedication and hard work of the AFHQ personnel in taking forward the ongoing works, including efforts to attain Aatmanirbharta, and contributing to the welfare of soldiers. "You are an important link between the Armed Forces and the rest of the civilian government. There is a need to further strengthen your capabilities for enhanced efficiency," he said.

Rajnath Singh added that the three Services form a large part of the functioning in MoD and the AFHQ cadre ensures that all stakeholders think as a group towards better policy formulation. "Unprecedented reforms have been undertaken in MoD in the last five years, and there has been tremendous progress in several areas. Our achievements have been recognised globally. This has happened due to teamwork. The Armed Forces and Civil Services should work together from Command Headquarters and Service Headquarters to the Ministry for better output. By including AFHQ Civil Services officers in key roles in MoD, the quality of decision making will improve," he added.

The Defence Minister urged the Department of Defence to explore the possibilities of better career progression for the personnel of AFHQ Civilian Services. "As their capabilities increase, their career progression will improve, and these personnel will be able to provide better support to the Armed Forces, bolstering our defence system. Ensuring better career progression will also attract best candidates to the AFHQ Civil Service," he said.

Rajnath Singh exhorted the personnel to pay attention to the core values of honesty, discipline and uniformity. He was of the view that everyone deserves respect, irrespective of their position or rank, emphasising that ego must be shed and the personnel must work as a team. He called for learning from one another, which makes even hard work easy to accomplish.

Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth; Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi; Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi; Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari; Secretary (Ex-Servicemen Welfare) Dr Niten Chandra; Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V. Kamat and other senior civil & military officials of MoD were present on the occasion.

The AFHQ Day is celebrated on August 1 every year to recognise the role of the personnel who work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Service personnel, primarily in the three Integrated Service Headquarters; HQ, Intergated Defence Staff and 24 Inter-Services Organisations of MoD. The aim is to foster spirit-de-corps of the civilian employees of AFHQ Cadres, who play the role of a bridge between Service Headquarters and MoD, both during peace and war.

The foundation of AFHQ cadres was laid on August 1, 1942 by organising the then decentralised civilian posts/cadre operation as distinct entities under various Service Headquarters and Secretariat of Ministry of Defence and Finance (Defence) under the control of Chief Administrative Officer.