As reported by BharatShakti, with the first draft, the ‘basic document’ outlining the structure and operational framework of the proposed theatre commands for the armed forces is ready, the upcoming Joint Commanders’ Conference at Lucknow next week is all set to roll out the timelines.
“The first Joint Commanders’ Conference (JCC) is set to take place at the Headquarters Central Command, Lucknow from 4-5 September 2024. Themed ‘Sashakt aur Surakshit Bharat: Transforming the Armed Forces’, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the conference, which will serve as the pivotal platform for undertaking internal ‘process reforms’ within the armed forces,” Defence Ministry said on Friday.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan will inaugurate the conference on September 4. The event will bring together the apex-level hierarchy from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.
Besides Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan, all Service Chiefs, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi and General Upendra Dwivedi, all 17 Commanders-in-Chief across the three Services and Heads of the two tri-services formations – the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Strategic Forces Command – will be in attendance, military sources said. They are expected to be joined by the Defence Secretary, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman, and a host of senior functionaries in the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
According to the MoD statement, during the two-day deliberations, the focus will be on analyzing the impact of regional and global geo-political disruptions and the corresponding demands on the ongoing reforms in the armed forces. Key areas of emphasis will include preparing for future wars, promoting jointness and integration among the armed services, and enhancing technology absorption, in line with the government’s ‘Atmanirbharta’ initiative for achieving self-reliance in defence.
The Ministry of Defence has highlighted that the Joint Combined Conference (JCC) aims to become a vital platform for the collaborative exchange of ideas, strategies, and best practices among India’s top military leadership, reaffirming the country’s commitment to a strong and safer future and achieving strategic autonomy in defence.
The primary objective behind the conference is to present the progress made in the efforts to introduce far-reaching reforms in India’s higher defence management, which were initiated in January 2020, when India’s first Chief of Defence Staff was appointed, and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) was created.
During the two-day conference, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will receive a detailed presentation on the operational aspects of the planned integration. It will cover how an integrated command, referred to as a theatre command, would operate during peacetime and conflict while maintaining readiness for battle. The Lucknow Conference is aimed to bring all military leaders on board and collaborate to refine the structure of theatre commands and rollout a realistic timeline for their implementation.
Ravi Shankar
