CDS focusses on jointness as military charts path towards theatre commands
Chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan said jointness and integration were crucial for adapting to the contours of future warfare and conducting effective operations
Chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan on Wednesday underlined the importance of jointness in the armed forces with focus on plans to enhance integration across a raft of domains, at a time when Indian military is charting its path towards theaterisation, a long-awaited reform.
Addressing the military’s top brass on the opening day of the maiden Joint Commanders’ Conference in Lucknow, he said jointness and integration were crucial for adapting to the contours of future warfare and conducting effective operations.
“The conference is focused on shaping the future of India’s military to adapt to the changing operational milieu,” the defence ministry said in a statement. The three service chiefs and other top military officials are attending the conference. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will attend the conference on Thursday and engage in detailed deliberations with the top military leadership.
The armed forces are ready with the blueprint of the theaterisation model for the best use of the military’s resources to fight future wars, and awaiting the final approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as previously reported by HT. Issues related to the creation of theatre commands are expected to be discussed at length during the two-day conference based on the theme Sashakt aur Surakshit Bharat: Transforming Armed Forces.
Speaking in Lok Sabha in July, Modi said the creation of theatre commands to bolster national security was on track, the modernisation of the armed forces was in full swing, and the government was working on reforms to ensure the military was always battle ready.
The China-centric northern theatre command will be based in Lucknow, the Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and the maritime theatre command will be headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram with operational role in the Indian Ocean region.
The CDS complimented the three services for taking several measures to create the roadmap for integration; describing it as a step-by-step process, beginning with cross-service co-operation, leading to a joint culture, and, finally, achieving integration of forces for conducting joint operations.
In May, the government notified the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, with the new law aimed at pushing jointness among the three services.
It will empower the government to notify the setting up of inter-services organisations (ISOs), including joint services commands, and bestow powers on heads of such organisations to act against personnel from any of the three services to ensure discipline and effective discharge of duties.
The armed forces have 17 single-service commands spread across the country. The army and air force have seven commands each, while the navy has three. Creating theatres would involve merging the existing commands.
Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi recently chaired a meeting of his top generals to outline the army’s strategy and priorities during the Amrit Kaal (the period leading to India’s independence centenary) and aligning the force’s goals with the government’s vision of making India a developed country and a significant global player by 2047.
The discussions saw the army brass outline a variety of broad goals to be pursued over the next decade, including theaterisation, reorganisation of the army and its seven command headquarters, and the crucial realignment of command, corps and area headquarters boundaries.
