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India’s long-pending plan to restructure its armed forces into integrated theatre commands has entered the final stretch, with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan indicating that a detailed proposal will be placed before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh within a week.
Speaking at a strategic tri-service seminar ‘Run Samwad‘ in Bengaluru, Gen Chauhan said consultations among the three services have largely concluded, with only minor issues left to be ironed out.
“From our side, it is done. 100% consensus has been reached. Now we have to move it to the Defence Minister and then to the Cabinet Committee on Security. I should be able to complete the report in a week or so,” he said during the ‘Fire Side’ discussion with BharatShakti Editor-in-Chief Nitin Gokhale.
The exercise, internally dubbed “Operation Tiranga”, has involved months of behind-the-scenes negotiations led by the Department of Military Affairs to bridge differences between the Army, Navy and Air Force over the structure and functioning of the proposed commands.
Once submitted, the plan will be reviewed by the Defence Ministry before being placed before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for final approval.
Also Read: Indian Military Racing Against Time To Form Theatre Commands
The proposal aims to replace the current system of over 17 service-specific commands with integrated theatre commands designed for joint warfighting. The emerging framework points to three primary commands: a Northern Theatre Command focused on the China front, a Western Theatre Command for Pakistan, and a Maritime Theatre Command for the Indian Ocean region.
The push has gathered pace amid a clear directive from the political leadership to roll out the first phase before Gen Chauhan demits office on May 30. Officials say this timeline has injected urgency into both the Department of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.
Significantly, the Indian Air Force, initially cautious about the concept, has now agreed on how its assets would be allocated within the theatre command structure, clearing a key hurdle. The Army, for its part, is reviewing its order of battle along the northern and western borders to align with the proposed reorganisation.
Under the evolving plan, the Northern Theatre Command is expected to be headquartered in Lucknow, while the Western Theatre Command could be based in Jaipur. The Maritime Theatre Command is likely to come up in Thiruvananthapuram.
The restructuring is expected to bring sweeping changes in operational command and control. For the China front, two Army commands, Central and Eastern, would coordinate more closely under the new framework, while the Udhampur-based Northern Command would focus on Pakistan and counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the western front, formations ranging from pivot corps to strike corps are likely to be integrated under a single theatre commander, enhancing operational synergy. Some formations, such as the Yol-based 9 Corps, may be designated as flexible reserves for deployment across theatres.
While the broad contours are now in place, the finer details, particularly the integration of Air Force and Navy assets into the joint structure, are still being worked out and will shape the final blueprint of what is being described as the most significant military reform since Independence.
Ravi Shankar, Bangaluru
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
