India is in an advanced stage of drawing up the contours of the structure and processes of the “theatre command” to bring integration and coordination of all the three services.
The timeline for operationalising this is yet to be made public.
Speaking at the Indian Air Force conclave here on Friday on “Synergised Objectives”, organised to mark 50 years of victory in the India-Pakistan War in 1971, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said theatre integration would be ensured following the creation of Chief of Defence Staff and Department of Military Affairs in the Defence Ministry. Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat detailed the work done on theatrisation so far.
Recalling the integrated efforts of the three services in bringing victory in the India-Pakistan War in 1971 and led to the biggest surrender of troops after World War II, they emphasised the need for integration in the changing situation.
“The armed forces and Defence Ministry will be further integrated,” the Defence Minister said. “In the coming days as forward process, theatre integration will be ensured. Integration will be in procurement, indigenisation and prioritising capability development.”
General Rawat said India had extensively studied the theatre command models of the U.S., the U.K., Russia and China to adopt some of the best practises. “We will adopt a tailor-made model to meet our national security. We are moving forward with maritime theatre command, joint air defence structure and land centric theatre command,” he said. “The concept of theatrisation is being progressed on a consensus-based approach at various levels. To bring about greater synergy and bring down redundancy, the service chiefs are likely to retain operational control.”
Identification of theatre command, he said, would be based on the tasks, threats, opportunities and assets. After the proposal was examined and finalised by the chiefs of staff committee, it would be operationalised by the Government.
Speaking to reporters later, General Rawat, said, “there are no differences on creation of theatre command. It will be implemented in rapid succession. We will take all services on board and then create theatre command that will suit our requirement.”
On the timeline for theatrisation, he said: “There is no point in fixing a timeline and working hastily. Creating an organisation and putting a structure in place will take a long time.”
