Indian Army Being Restructured in Five Theatre of Commands
Special Correspondent
The Indian military is expected to be reorganized under five theatre commands by 2022 with defined areas of operation and a seamless command structure for synchronized operations.
‘Theatre of Commands’ refers to placing units of the army, air force, and navy under a single Theatre Commander. The operational command of such combinations will be under one officer drawn from one of the three services. All commands will be headed by Lt General or equivalent rank commanders, who will be the first among equals with the heads of the present commands reporting to them.
The task of the Chief of Staff of Army, Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Naval Staff will not be operational but involve mobilizing resources to the theatre commanders as it is in the US military.
1st and 2nd Command
The task of reorganization of the three services under theatre commands has begun with a China specific Northern Command and Pakistan specific Western command under serious consideration. CDS Gen Bipin Rawat has been given the mandate by the Narendra Modi government to create theatre commands much like the ones China and the US currently have.
China specific Northern Command
According to military and national security planners, the northern command’s remit will begin from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh and continue up to the last outpost Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, with the military mandate of guarding the 3,488 kilometer of Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The HQ of this command could be Lucknow.
Pakistan specific Western command
The western command’s remit will be from Indira Col on Saltoro Ridge in the Siachen Glacier region to the tip of Gujaratwith its HQ likely in Jaipur.
3rd, 4th and 5th Command
- The third theatre command will be the Peninsular Command (likely HQ Thiruvananthapuram)
- The fourth, a full-fledged air defence command
- The fifth, a maritime command. (tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Islands Command being merged with this) (HQ: Andhra Pradesh’s new capital);
Role of 4th and 5th Command
The air defence command will not only spearhead the country’s aerial attack but also be responsible for defending Indian airspace through multi-role fighters with all anti-aircraft missiles under its control. The task of the maritime command will be to protect the Indian Ocean and India’s Island territories as well as keep the sea lanes free and open from any outside pressure.
Why theatre commands?
Currently, the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy all defend Indian airspace on separate communication frequencies and without synergy. This is despite the fact that all Indian Army Corps Headquarters are located next to an air base as a result of which there is duplication of effort and wasteful expenditure.