Armed forces’ joint ops centre to come up by month-end: CDS

In a significant change to the war fighting architecture, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said on Monday that a Joint Operations Centre for the armed forces is to come up by May-end. The expansion of Defence Space Agency is being done while work is on for having a Defence Geospatial Agency, said the CDS, adding that on creating theatre commands, three sets of recommendations have been submitted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Tribune had first reported in its edition on April 26 that the CDS has submitted a formal proposal for creation of theatre commands. The CDS was speaking at the Maj Gen Samir Sinha memorial lecture at think-tank United Service Institution (USI) and was addressing the ongoing issue of ‘Jointness and threatrisation — Key challenges and progress made’.

A joint operation centre is under the works and will integrate operations of the three Services, said the General, adding that a common Services Act is also being readied. “We are trying to work out a common Services Act to do away with Army Act, IAF Act and Navy Act,” he said.

Theatre commands’ is military jargon for creating geographically defined area of operations with a military commander heading it and controlling all war-fighting assets like planes, copters, guns, tanks, equipment and manpower.

The CDS said jointness and integration is a tedious and slow process. The concept of theatre commands will rest on jointness and integration that has been worked out.