General N S Raja Subramani, who recently assumed office as India’s third Chief of Defence Staff, is preparing to advance the long-awaited theatre commands reform.

By the end of this month, he will make a crucial presentation to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking permission to move the proposal forward for Cabinet Committee on Security approval under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This marks a decisive step in a process that has been in motion since 2022.

The presentation will be based on the final draft submitted by his predecessor, General Anil Chauhan, before retiring on 31 May. Subramani is expected to present the proposal in detail before all stakeholders and the minister, ensuring that the plan is thoroughly examined before being escalated to the highest level of government.

At the heart of the proposal are three theatre commands: Northern, focused on China; Western, focused on Pakistan; and Maritime, incorporating the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The plan also envisages the creation of four new four-star posts, including that of the Vice Chief of Defence Staff. Each theatre command will be led by a four-star officer, equivalent in rank to the current service chiefs, thereby ensuring parity in authority and responsibility.

The political leadership is firmly supportive of theatre commands as part of essential military reforms. However, the three service headquarters remain divided over the dilution of service chiefs’ operational powers.

Under the new structure, service chiefs will no longer have operational roles, with their responsibilities confined to training and sustenance. Theatre commanders will report directly to the defence minister during wartime, a significant shift in India’s military command structure.

Concerns also exist within the military-civilian bureaucracy about the creation of four additional four-star posts. These officers would hold the same ex-officio cabinet secretary rank as the service chiefs, raising questions about whether the structure could become top-heavy. Yet, proponents argue that hierarchy and seniority are fundamental to the armed forces, and appointing theatre commanders as three-star officers would undermine the reform, as service chiefs would overshadow them.

Although all service chiefs had signed off on the theatre commands plan during General Chauhan’s tenure, the Indian Air Force has remained cautious. Its reservations stem from the risk of overstretching limited aerial assets across multiple theatres, potentially weakening operational effectiveness. In contrast, the Army and Navy have expressed strong support for the reform, recognising its potential to enhance jointness and efficiency.

The approach to Theaterisation has evolved under successive CDSs. General Bipin Rawat pursued a top-down strategy to unify the services, while General Chauhan adopted a softer, bottom-up method, focusing on joint operations, intelligence, and communications.

General Subramani now carries the responsibility of steering the reform through its final stages, balancing political will, bureaucratic concerns, and inter-service differences.

The upcoming presentation will be pivotal in determining whether India’s armed forces can transition to a theatre command structure, a reform seen as critical for future conflicts and strategic readiness. The decision will shape the country’s military organisation for decades to come.

Agencies