The theaterization of the Indian military, according to Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, is now in the process and will be the “biggest ambitious overhaul in the armed forces with far-reaching ramifications attempted post-Independence.”
General Chauhan emphasised that the national security strategy must change to reflect shifts in the geopolitical order while speaking at a conference hosted by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in Delhi.
On the upcoming military reform, he remarked, “It is one of the most comprehensive adjustments attempted since Independence. The proper actions towards integration and jointness must be made before this trip may begin.
He defined theaterisation as the process of developing tri-service theater-specific mechanisms for efficient conflict resolution across the board.
Theaterization is a term used to describe the integration of the army, navy, and air force’s capabilities and the use of their resources in conflicts and operations.
The general’s remarks came a day after ThePrint revealed that the Indian military would create three geography-based integrated theatre commands, with the first one positioned opposite western frontiers, to take on Pakistan and China.
According to the plan, the theatre command’s headquarters will be in Jaipur, the location of the Army’s South Western Command (SWC), which will be responsible for Pakistan. Lucknow, which is currently the Central Command’s headquarters, will become the site of the other theatre command to manage the borders with China.
The maritime theatre command would be established at Karwar, Karnataka, which is near to Goa, to look after India’s maritime and coastal interests.
According to them, the Army and the Air Force will alternately appoint officers to the other two commands while a Naval officer will lead the marine command.
On the military reforms, General Chauhan stated that because of the shifting nature of global geopolitics, the country’s strategy should seek to take these changes into account.
On the military reforms, General Chauhan noted that the geopolitics of the world were in flux and that the national strategy should try to adapt to the changes in order to meet difficulties and take advantage of opportunities.
The necessity to “perform, reform, transform, inform, and conform to meet the developing difficulties” was also emphasised by him.
The CDS had been given the responsibility of facilitating the restructuring of military commands for the best possible resource utilisation by fostering joint-ness in operations, particularly by establishing joint/theatre commands.
It was the brainchild of India’s first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, who wanted it to go live by 2022. Nonetheless, there were significant disagreements within the military regarding the fundamental makeup of the theatre command.
