According to sources, the Army, Navy, and Indian Air Force (IAF) are “99 per cent” on board with the broad contours of the theatre commands being shaped by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan after months of dithering, different ideas, and objections. “1% is still out there, but this is a work in progress.” “It will take some time,” said a senior official in the defence and security establishment.
Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force in 99% Agreement on Proposed Structure
When asked what concerns remained, the source told ThePrint that the problem was more administrative than operational. Theatre commands are being established in the hopes of facilitating better preparation and a joint military response to any future confrontation. According to the present plan, which differs from the previous one, there will be three theatre commands based on geographical limits.
Also read: Theaterisation In Armed Forces: The Upcoming Reality
According to sources, two of the three will be land-based and one would be maritime. The three theatre commands will almost certainly be led by four-star officers, similar to the service chiefs and the CDS. Three-star commanders will lead other joint commands like logistics, training, cyber and space, missiles, and intelligence. All the theatre commanders will report to the CDS, with service heads in charge of raising and sustaining concerns. While it was predicted in February 2020 that theatre commands would be ready in three years, ThePrint reported that significant disagreements among the armed forces on the basic form of theatre commands would be a delaying factor.
Also read: Cross-Posting Of Indian Army Officers To IAF And Navy To Begin Soon
As Secretary of Military Affairs, the CDS is entrusted with “facilitating the restructuring of military commands for optimal resource utilisation by bringing about jointness in operations, including the establishment of joint/theatre commands.” This envisions a unified military led by individual commanders with defined areas of duty, akin to what the Americans and Chinese have.
Former CDS late Gen Bipin Rawat was eager to establish the Maritime Theatre Command and the Air Defence Command first. While the Indian armed forces have 19 distinct commands, only two of them are tri-service commands – the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) and the Strategic Forces Command, with the latter in charge of nuclear assets.
The initial plan was to consolidate these various service commands into five theatres and functional commands: the Northern Land Theatre (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and the Central Sector), the Western Land Theatre (Pakistan-centric), the Eastern Land Theatre, the Maritime Theatre Command, and the Air Defence Command. The final contours of the theatre command structure are expected to be established over the coming three months and then go through a formal approval procedure.
To crack the SSB Interview and join the Indian Army as an Officer, You can join our SSB interview live classes batch and we recommend you to Enroll SSB INTERVIEW ONLINE COURSE. Trusted by thousands of defence aspirants.
