Integrated Theatre Commands

CONTEXT:

With reorganisation of the forces into integrated tri-service theatre commands, July 22 saw a table-top war-gaming exercise between the three forces of the Indian nation.

FOR PRELIMS:

• To fine-tune the reorganization between the three forces, this exercise was held.
• Even a collusive threat of a two-front war from China and Pakistan were war-gamed apart from other scenarios.
• This was large in extent from the Northern Command to the Andaman and Nicobar.
• It was played for 24 hrs where the attending officers counted to 40 including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat, three Service Chiefs, Vice Chiefs and Director General of Military Operations equivalent from the three services.
• There was a frank and free wheeling exchange to evolve the best process on theatrisation and many of the concerns put forward by various sides over the creation of the commands were addressed.
• This exercise was on the recommendation of the Consultative committee formed on the advice of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• The creation of integrated theatre commands West, East, Maritime Theatre Command (MTC) and Integrated Air Defence Command are accordingly being progressed. The Northern command will be added later on.
• Separate budget head needs to be created as new joint structures will have to be raised under the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) since the Theatre Commanders will report to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC).

INTEGRATED THEATRE COMMAND

• Defined as a unified command under which all the resources of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force are pooled, depending on the threat perception.
• Several nations in the world have theatre commands, including the United States and China.
• Recommended various times after the Kargil war.
• The four to five integrated tri-Services theatre commands will be headed by a three-star officer. This officer, the theatre commander, will report to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), which, as the name suggests, includes the three Service chiefs, and is headed by the CDS as its permanent chairman. This is in line with a major recommendation of the Naresh Chandra Committee to have a permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
• The Shekatkar Committee also recommended formation of three theatre commands- west, east and north. This is due to the prediction that coming times will see China and Pakistan attack through mountains.

Sources

• Indian Express
• The Hindu