Indian military theaterisation plans gather pace, but China has 8-year lead

Theaterisation of the Indian armed forces is gathering pace almost a decade after China did the same, with the incumbent Narendra Modi-led government reportedly setting a target for commencing the reorganisation process for the long-pending unified theatre commands by the time the new government that will be sworn in next month completes one year.  

Once rolled out, theaterisation will be the biggest military reform India has ever seen. It will see the creation of unified theatre commands within the Indian armed forces, instead of the individual ones that exist at present.  

What is theaterisation?  

In essence, these theatre commands will overhaul the country's existing defence deployment structure by integrating the army, air force and navy into one architecture, ensuring tri-services synergy and jointness. Each of these geographically integrated theatre commands will contain elements of all the three services, enabling cohesive and effective operations.  

 

Each of the theatre commands will look after the security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander.   

Theaterisation could reportedly see the establishment of two integrated theatre commands to counter Pakistan and China, along with a third maritime theatre command. As previously reported by Business Standard, one influential school of thought within the armed forces has been arguing for three such theatre commands, one with each service, for some time now.

  

Such a reorganisation could see the setting up of a Pakistan land theatre with an air force commander, a China land theatre with an army commander, and a maritime theatre commanded by the navy.  

Another option could be that while the China and Pakistan commands will see rotational appointments from the army and the air force, the maritime command will be headed by a naval officer. However, the final contours of the theaterisation process are not known yet.  

At present, the 1.7-million-strong Indian armed forces have 17 individual commands. However, two tri-service commands -- the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Strategic Forces Command -- are also operational. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnesses display of India's defence prowess at Bharat Shakti at Pokhran, Rajasthan. Image credit: @SpokespersonMoD

Theaterisation picks up pace  

Theaterisation roll-out will commence one year from the swearing-in of the new government next month, the incumbent government has told the defence and security establishment, according to a report by ThePrint on Tuesday.   

With its sights set on rolling out theaterisation, the government has told the armed forces to come up with a structure for the same within the set time frame, said the report, citing sources.  

With the Bharatiya Janata Party having made a commitment to theaterisation in its election manifesto, the report said that the government has already set its priorities for a possible new term, with sources saying that the Chief of Defence Staff, service chiefs and other officials have already been working on increased jointness and integration, leading to eventual theaterisation.

   

Actual theaterisation will take more time, but the government expects that structured jointness initiatives, including structures for joint training, administration, and logistics, will be rolled out by the end of 2024, said the report.   

However, the report pointed out that no specific hierarchy or structures have been finalised for the new system yet because the government's focus is on integration first, instead of outright theaterisation. The government has adopted a "bottom-up" approach to theaterisation, instead of a "top-down" one, added the report, citing sources. 

Highlights from ‘Bharat Shakti’ in Pokhran. We will keep working towards making India self reliant in the defence sector. pic.twitter.com/Ui2SI6KhhI

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2024

'Consensus is emerging'  

There are other indications that the defence reform initiative is witnessing forward movement.  

On May 4, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the theaterisation process was making progress with consensus emerging among the three services regarding the ambitious initiative.  

In an interview with a news agency, Singh said the armed forces were committed to theaterisation because it would ensure better utilisation of resources.
    

The defence minister said, "The theaterisation process has started. There has been progress on it." He added, "Consensus is emerging on it among the three services as it will ensure better utilisation of resources and enhance the military's overall capabilities."

  

The theatre commands were supposed to be ready by 2023, according to earlier estimates. However, strong differences had reportedly emerged within the armed forces regarding the basic structure of the commands, delaying the process.  

In June 2021, the Department of Military Affairs, headed by then Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, had asked all three services to conduct independent studies on theaterisation for its rollout. But, General Rawat's death in December 2021 in a helicopter crash slowed down the process.  

During the interview, Singh declined to provide a timeline for theaterisation, but he cautioned that certain countries had taken close to 20 years to implement similar plans. "We are working on it," Singh added.  

The Indian Air Force reportedly had some reservations about theaterisation, but its concerns have been addressed.  

Chief of Defence Staff leading the charge  

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan is working on implementing the theaterisation plan and has held a series of deliberations with the top brass of the three services in the past few months to take the process forward, said the same news agency.  

As a precursor to the setting up of theatre commands, military planners reportedly intend to first establish an integrated logistics management system.  

The defence ministry is also expected to roll out a number of concrete initiatives over the coming months as part of its theatre commands plan.  

Focus on 'jointness'  

On May 10, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) took an important step towards uniform implementation of military justice across the joint-service organisations being created by merging army, navy and air force elements into Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs).  

"The Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act has been notified through a Gazette Notification to be enforced with effect from May 10, 2024," an MoD notification said.    

"The Act empowers Commanders-in-Chief and Officers-in-Command of ISOs to exercise control over Service personnel, serving under them, for effective maintenance of discipline and administration, without disturbing the unique service conditions of each individual Service,” the MoD statement said, explaining the implications of this step.  

"The Act will empower the Heads of ISOs and pave the way for expeditious disposal of cases, avoid multiple proceedings and will be a step towards greater integration and jointness among the armed forces personnel," the statement added.

  

During a two-day conclave of senior military officers that concluded on May 10, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan underlined the need for expediting the process of "jointness" among the army, navy and air force to create a multi-domain response mechanism.  

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and other senior military officials also attended the 'Parivartan Chintan II' conclave on "jointness and integration" in the armed forces.  

"There was active deliberation on the vital reforms critical towards the fruition of the goals envisioned to achieve the desired 'joint and integrated' end state towards transformation," the MoD said in a statement. Updates on the progress towards jointness and integration were also provided.  

China almost a decade ahead  

While steps have been taken recently to expedite theaterisation, China has already re-organised its 2-million strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) into five theatre commands.  

PLA's 2016 re-organisation was aimed at improving offensive capabilities and command and control. For example, while four Indian Army and three Indian Air Force commands protect India's northern borders with China, the PLA's Western Theatre Command is responsible for the entire 3,488-kilometre Line of Actual Control. 

(With inputs from Ajai Shukla & agencies)