Preparation of Indian Four Theatre of Command Begins
News Desk
What is this theatre command?
At present, the Indian Army, navy and air force each has multiple commands that are vertically split in terms of their command structure. The army and air force have 7 commands each while the navy has 3 commands. A theatre command is an organisational structure designed to control all military assets in a theatre of war to achieve military convergence. In simple terms, it will a command centre of army, air force and navy placing the resources of all forces at one command under one senior military commander.
Why?
Is theatre command a new idea?
There are already two such joint services commands in India
- Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)
- Strategic Forces Command (SFC)
– In reality, The ANC is only of its kind in India that combines the army, navy and air force.
– SFC controls the nuclear assets of the country and is not related to any specific theatre of war.
What now?
India has finally kicked off the actual groundwork for creation of four theatre commands
- Western theatre command (WTC) will be headquartered at Jaipur
- Eastern theatre command (ETC) will be based either at Kolkata or Lucknow.
- Air defence command (ADC) will come up at Gandhinagar or Prayagraj
- Maritime theatre command (MTC) will come up in Karwar
Four existing commanders-in-chief have been “nominated to work out and raise the structures” of the new tri-service commands.
Does theatre command make sense?
Every one thinks, a theatre command is simply a joint command. However, theatre Commands are much more than just jointmanship. It is about technology, strategy, speed and time in achieving success on the battlefield. Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) have speeded up the process of decision-making. The key to winning the war is having command over technology, implementation of technology, and utilizing that technology in acting faster than the adversary.
The answer to all this is a modern ‘Integrated Command Structure’.
Is it Easy to Achieve?
