‘Jointness To Theatre Commands Is Not Simple’: Lt Gen PJS Pannu On India’s Military Reforms

Lt Gen PJS Pannu offers a ground-level perspective on India’s transition toward theatre commands, explaining why the concept, while appealing on paper, is far more complex in execution. He outlines how jointness of the integration of Army, Navy, Air Force, along with cyber and space domains has evolved since the Kargil War with the creation of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). However, moving from jointness to full theatreisation involves a deeper structural shift, where a single commander controls all resources within a defined operational theatre.