Army, Navy and Air Force finally 99% in agreement on proposed theater command structure

New Delhi: After months of indecisiveness, multiple plans and objections, the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force (IAF) are “99 per cent” in agreement on the broad contours of theater commands.S It is being shaped by Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. It has been learned.

“One per cent is still out but it is a work in progress. This will take some more time,” said a top source in the defense and security establishment.

asked what Doubts still remainThe source told ThePrint that the matter was more administrative than operational.

theater command They are being established with the expectation that they will lead to better planning and a joint military response to any future conflict. As per the plan currently being drawn up – different from what was envisaged earlier – there will be three theater commands based on geographical boundaries.

Of the three, two will be land-based and one sea-based, sources said.

three theater commands likely It will be headed by four-star officersLike service chiefs and CDS.

Other joint commands, such as those for logistics, training, cyber and space, missiles and intelligence, will be headed by three-star officers.

All theater commanders will report to the CDS, for whom the service chiefs will be responsible. raising and raising issuessources said.

while it was Claimed in February 2020 that theater commands will be Ready in three years, ThePrint had reported He Deep differences between the armed forces On the basic structure of theater command Will be a delaying factor.

cds, Has been as Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs entrusted to “Facilitate reorganization of military commands for optimum utilization of resources by bringing about jointness in operations including establishment of joint/theatre commands”.

It envisages a unified army under specific commanders with areas of responsibility similar to those of the Americans and the Chinese.

Former CDS was late General Bipin Rawat eager to bring out The first two theaters are the Maritime Theater Command and the Air Defense Command.

While the nearly 17 lakh strong Indian Armed Forces has 19 individual commands till date, only two of them are tri-services commands – the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) and the Strategic Forces Command, the latter looking after nuclear assets.

The original idea was to divide these various service commands into five theaters and functional commands – Northern Land Theater (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Central Region), Western Land Theater (Pakistan centric), Eastern Land Theatre, Maritime Theatre. Command and Air Defense Command.

The final outline of the theater command structure is expected to be formalized in the next few months, and then go through a formal approval process.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)


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