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India’s long-awaited move towards integrated theatre commands is in its final stages, with the armed forces working to operationalise the new structure well before the government-mandated deadline of May 30, 2026, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Friday.
Speaking at the Pune Public Policy Festival 2026 at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, the CDS said theaterisation aimed at creating joint theatre commands remains one of his core responsibilities and is now “almost there”.
“Theatreisation is one of my tasks, to create joint theatre commands. We are almost there. Post Operation Sindoor, we wanted certain lessons to be incorporated, especially with regard to higher defence organisations,” General Chauhan said during a fireside interaction with Editior-in-Chief, BharatShakti, Nitin Gokhale on ‘Technology’s Role in India’s National Security’.
Drawing from recent military engagements, including the Uri surgical strikes, Doklam and Galwan standoffs, the Balakot air strike, and Operation Sindoor, the CDS said India has often relied on innovative, situation-specific command arrangements. The current effort seeks to institutionalise those experiences into a standardised command framework.
“What we are now working towards is evolving a standardised system that will be applicable across all contingencies. Most of the things we have done, and by and large, everybody is on board. No one is against the concept; differences are only in how we rearrange the system,” he said.
General Chauhan made it clear that the reform would be completed during his tenure, as the government has granted an extension for completing the exercise until May 30.
“We will do it before my tenure ends,” he said.
Pakistan Promoted Asim Munir After Op Sindoor Setback
In a sharp assessment of Pakistan’s recent military and constitutional changes, the CDS said Operation Sindoor exposed serious shortcomings in Pakistan’s system, forcing Islamabad into hurried corrective measures.
“The changes which have been brought about in Pakistan, including the constitutional amendment done hurriedly, are actually an acknowledgement of the fact that everything didn’t go well for them in this operation. They found a lot of shortcomings and deficiencies,” Gen Chauhan said.
He noted that, while part of the amendment concerns the constitution of federal customs courts, its implications for Pakistan’s higher defence organisation are significant.
“This is of particular importance to us in India, and especially to the armed forces,” he said.
General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, #CDS participated in Pune Public Policy Festival 2026 held at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune and participated in an insightful fireside interaction with senior journalist and strategic affairs expert Shri Nitin… pic.twitter.com/cbBWm58q0F
— HQ IDS (@HQ_IDS_India) January 10, 2026
The Pune dialogue underscored how emerging technologies are reshaping warfare and driving force modernisation.
The interaction highlighted the shift towards multi-domain operations and the integration of AI, autonomy, cyber and space capabilities, while emphasising the critical importance of indigenisation, innovation and resilient defence supply chains in building a technologically empowered force.
The exchange reinforced India’s resolve to harness cutting-edge technologies, strengthen self-reliance and generate decisive military capability, aligning strategic vision with operational transformation in pursuit of robust national security.
Team BharatShakti
