Rajnath Singh briefed on proposed set-up of theatre commands

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was today briefed on the proposed theatre commands of the armed forces, their operations and structure. A formal announcement on the creation of theatre commands – also called joint commands – is still awaited.

The creation of joint commands will be one of the biggest military reforms in the country. It envisages placing all war-going assets under a single commander responsible for a defined geographical area. The Defence Minister will now take a call on the matter. He may decide to seek a few changes in the concept of the geographical demarcation of joint commands and the concept that has been proposed by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.

The minister, once he is satisfied that all the services are on board, will send the proposal to the Cabinet Committee on Security. Rajnath today presided over the Joint Commanders’ Conference in Lucknow where the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service Chiefs were present.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “The focus of the conference was on future capability building, including organisation structures for joint and integrated response.” Rajnath said a ‘joint military vision’ would help prepare for future wars that would require synergised, swift and proportionate response. The military commanders also briefed Rajnath on indigenisation and technological developments.Special attention was given to the strategic importance of cyber and space-based capabilities in modern warfare.

Referring to ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts and the current situation in Bangladesh, Rajnath asked the Commanders to analyse these events and predict the problems that the country may face in the future.