Armed forces conclude talks on theatre commands, proposal to be sent to govt soon: CDS General Anil Chauhan
Officials say it would take about two weeks for the proposal to go to the government; top military official says more than 90 % of planning for theatre commands has been completed
Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, on Thursday said discussions among the armed forces have concluded on the creation of ‘theatre commands’ and a proposal would be submitted to the government in the next week or so.
General Chauhan speaking at a ‘fireside’ chat at the brainstorming session at an event called the ‘Ran Samwad’, hosted by the Ministry of Defence, said: “I should be able to complete the report of operation Tiranga – that is the name of the discussion and formulation of theatre commands -- in a week or so”.
Later, officials said it would take about two weeks for the proposal to go to the government.
“From our side its done, all the services are on board and discussions have concluded. Now we have to take the proposal to the Defence Minister and Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)”, the CDS said, adding that the ‘theatre commands’ have two sides – one is the concept, the second is how it will manifest or be operationalised. “There is a 100 % consensus on the concept; there remain some differences on how the process of implementation, however, we are moving ahead.”
Earlier, a top military official on Thursday confirmed that more than 90 % of the planning for the creation of theatre commands, a new structure for the Indian Armed Forces, has been completed.
The Tribune had reported in its print edition on Thursday morning that fresh contours of the theatre commands have emerged with a wider role for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the immediate junior of the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, is tasked with tri-service jointness, integration, and operational synergy, said “Our move towards joint structures and Theatre Commands — with planning now reported to be more than 90 percent complete — is a historic opportunity.
Air Marshal Dixit warned that structures alone do not guarantee synergy. Cultural integration is what makes structure come alive. “Jointness must evolve from mere coordination to genuine unity of effort. That requires transparency in information-sharing, clarity of authority, and — most fundamentally — mutual trust,” he added.
‘Theatre commands’ is military jargon for creating a geographically defined area of operations, with a military commander heading it and controlling all war-fighting assets like planes, helicopters, guns, tanks, equipment, and manpower.
The theatre commands for the Indian armed forces now have new contours. The western theatre, focused on Pakistan, will be headed by an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, while the Northern Theatre, focused on China, will have an Army officer as its head. The maritime theatre command, on expected lines, would be headed by a Navy officer.
The fresh contours mean the IAF has been proposed to be the permanent lead for the Western command – this has come after seeing the devastation the IAF strikes caused during operation Sindoor in May last year. This allocation of ‘theatre commands’ is more or less fixed, and there is unlikely to be any rotation. The previous proposal featured rotation between the IAF and the Army.
The Military also proposes to have a Vice Chief of Defence Staff and to have deputy commanders for all theatres, who will be from another service.
