Joint Theatre Commands Face Roadblock; Proposed Three Adversary-Specific Structure Put On Hold, Deliberations Ongoing For New Configurations

Department of Military Affairs (DMA) led by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lt Gen Anil Chauhan's proposed plan for theatre commands has hit a roadblock and he is currently considering new structures for these commands.

These deliberations follow earlier reports of the DMA and all three armed services agreeing to the proposed geography-based three theatre commands — northern based in Lucknow, western based in Jaipur, and maritime based in Karwar, Karnataka.

However, according to a report by The Tribune, released six days ago (4 October), "this concept has been put on hold, for now."

An official was quoted as saying, "The previous formula of three theatre commands is not final. A new combination is under examination."

Discussions are ongoing to reassess and create new structures for the joint theatre commands, and the DMA has sought feedback from the Union government.

The thinking behind these new discussions is to make sure that all the stakeholders are on the same page for the new theatre commands.

Two primary points of contention, as reported by another Tribune report, are as follows:

First, there is a debate about the rank of the theatre commander —whether they should be a three-star or four-star officers — and the roles of the army, air force, and navy chiefs.

Currently, the army, navy, and air force chiefs hold four-star positions with operational control over their respective services. With the proposed structures, theatre commanders would have operational control over the theatre commands, while the army, navy, and air force chiefs would primarily handle training and logistics.

Second, pertains to the disagreements over the number of theatre commands. According to the report, stakeholders are interested in creating additional commands to accommodate various service interests.

While this decision has seemingly reset progress on the creation of theatre commands, some initiatives are already in motion.

The armed forces have initiated the cross-posting of officers, ranging from Lieutenant Colonel to Major General and their equivalents, among the different services.

Additionally, the Union government has passed a law granting disciplinary authority to the commanding officer of a composite command over all subordinate commanders, even those from other services.

Until now, in a hypothetical scenario, a navy commander of the Andaman and Nicobar Command didn't have any disciplinary authority over army and air force officers under his command. These decisions could only be made by their respective services.