India is moving forward with the theatre command concept, a major structural reform designed to integrate the Army, Navy, and Air Force under unified command structures. The goal is to ensure that operations in a specific geographical theatre are conducted with complete synergy, leveraging the combined strengths of all three services.

The debate over Theaterisation gained momentum in 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, underlined the necessity of seamless joint operations among the three services. Later that year, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post was created, with a mandate to promote integration and head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA). Since then, Theaterisation has become a central reform agenda for India’s defence establishment.

The process received a big boost with the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023, which empowered commanders of tri-service organisations with authority over personnel from all three services. This step, crucial for operational efficiency, laid the foundation for proposed theatre commands that would function beyond coordination and into true integration.

The 2019 Balakot air strikes remain a key example of why integration is needed. While the Air Force executed the mission effectively, the follow-up deployments of Army and Navy assets happened in parallel silos, rather than as part of a unified plan. This highlighted that India’s services could act simultaneously but not synergistically, a gap adversaries like China have been quick to exploit by moving to joint theatre commands years ago.

Today, the Army and Air Force each have seven commands, while the Navy has three. Alongside, there are two tri-service commands: the Andaman and Nicobar Command, and the Strategic Forces Command responsible for nuclear arsenal management. The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQIDS), created after the Kargil conflict, coordinates higher defence management. However, despite these mechanisms, functional integration remains limited.

Steps Towards Integration

Several preparatory measures are already underway. These include:

Standardisation of equipment for interoperability.
Common supply chains for logistics and procurement.
Joint training initiatives and cross-postings at all levels.
Expansion of a tri-service communication network for seamless data sharing.
Integration of repair and maintenance facilities, with platforms like Apache attack helicopters, ALH Dhruv, and AK-203 rifles already under common support systems.

Tri-service education reforms are also being pushed, with new joint military stations in Thiruvananthapuram, Visakhapatnam, and Gandhinagar. Training syllabi are being redesigned to foster cross-service understanding and operational coherence.

Theatre Command Structure Being Planned

According to defence planning:

A Western Theatre Command at Jaipur will focus on Pakistan.
A Northern Theatre Command at Lucknow will counter threats from China and the northern frontier.
A Maritime Theatre Command at Thiruvananthapuram will be Navy-led, covering India’s maritime domain and security challenges.

These will be complemented by ongoing reforms under 150+ integration measures initiated by the DMA, aimed at harmonising traditions, operational doctrines, and evaluation systems.

Despite momentum, differences persist. While the Army and Navy leadership have expressed full support, the Air Force has urged caution. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh argued against rushing theatreisation, stressing that India must tailor the structure to its unique requirements rather than copying foreign models like the U.S. He proposed starting with a Joint Planning and Coordination Centre in Delhi to systematically work towards synergy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, however, has confirmed that consensus is gradually emerging and the process is progressing steadily.

Retired military leaders stress that India cannot delay integration any longer. China transitioned to theatre commands in less than two years, while India has debated the issue for more than two decades. Experts such as Major General Harsha Kakkar (Retd) note that Indian forces still operate in silos with limited interoperability, duplicative logistics, and manpower-heavy structures. He argues that seamless integration is vital not just for efficiency but for survival in multi-domain conflicts involving cyber, space, and conventional battlefronts.

As India advances towards theatre commands, the reforms aim to create a joint warfighting culture, replacing isolated service-centric approaches. Greater interoperability, joint planning, and unified command are expected to ensure that future military actions are not a set of parallel deployments but a single, decisive strike capability.

Based On ET News Report