India has taken a notable footing in the direction of implementing integrated theatre commands, five years after the formation of the Chief of Defence Staff. Following a proposal for the theatre commands, India has now notified rules under the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023. With the notification of the rules, the act has become fully operational.
The notification came amid the success of Operation Sindhoor, which proved that coordinated warfighting is a prerequisite for changing the war scenario. The efforts to unify India’s military forces under theatre commands mark a significant milestone in India’s long-pending plan to integrate its three military services for more effective joint operations and coordination.
The earliest move towards integrating the command structure was the formation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post and the establishment of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA).
According to the Defence Ministry, the notification is a significant step to bolster effective command, control and efficient functioning of inter-services organisations (ISOs), thereby strengthening jointness among the armed forces.
As of now, the Army, Navy, and Air Force operate independently within their own commands. The move towards integrated theatre command is to move away from the existing fragmented structure to a system wherein all three services operate together under a single theatre commander for a specific geographical area. This approach is meant to improve operational efficiency, reduce duplication, and rationalise resources.
India’s current structure has 19 commands with seven for the Army, seven for the Air Force, and three for the Navy, along with the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Strategic Forces Command. The proposed theatre command would subsume several of these commands into three main theatres: one facing Pakistan in the west, another facing China in the north, and a maritime theatre covering the Indian Ocean region. The rules were passed by Parliament, which will replace parts of the Army Act, Navy Act, and Air Force Act and create a clear framework for joint military operations.
