India's theater command plan nears approval: what changes for military

India's theater command plan nears approval: what changes for military

India's long-pending plan to reorganize its armed forces into integrated theater commands is in the spotlight again.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General NS Raja Subramani will soon present the military's theaterization strategy to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Hindustan Times reported. The presentation will take place after Kargil Vijay Diwas later in July, NDTV reported.

If approved, this reform would drastically change how the Army, Navy, and Air Force prepare for and conduct warfare.

Current structure of armed forces

Currently, India's three armed services operate through 17 separate operational commands. The Army has seven, the Air Force has seven, and the Navy has three.

Each service operates under its own chain of command and planning process.

The proposed theater command system would replace this structure with a single commander overseeing all military assets in a specific geographical area or operational domain.

Proposed theater commands and their objectives

The proposal, which has been under discussion since 2022, aims to establish three major theater commands: Northern Command (China), Western Command (Pakistan), and Maritime Command (Andaman and Nicobar Island).

The proposals reportedly suggest creating three integrated theater commands: Northern Theatre Command for the China border, Western Theatre Command for the Pakistan front, and Maritime Theatre Command for the Indian Ocean Region.

Each theater command will be led by a four-star commander, placing the commander on par with the existing service chiefs.

According to NDTV, this structure has taken considerable internal negotiation because it essentially creates new tier of top military leadership alongside the Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs.