Joint Theatre Command of Tri-services : Daily Current Affairs

Date: 01/11/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

Relevance: GS-3: Various Security Forces and Agencies and their Mandate.

Key Phrases: Joint Theatre Command, Armed Forces, Chief of Defence Staff, Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), Strategic Forces Command (SFC), Kargil Review Committee, Shekatkar Committee, Nuclear Establishments, Department of Military Affairs, National Security Advisor, Hybrid Warfare.

Context:

  • Recently, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the setting up of ‘Joint Theatre Commands’ of the tri-services to bolster coordination among the defence forces.

Key Highlights:

  • Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retd) has been appointed as the next Chief of Defence Staff ( CDS).
  • The post was lying vacant for over nine months after the country’s first CDS General Bipin Rawat was killed in a chopper crash last December.

Need of Joint Theatre Command:

  • To bring all the 17 individual commands into four or five unified theatre commands.
  • It will help in better planning and military response and also bring down costs.
  • To have a unified approach to fighting future wars.
    • Need for a unified approach to war fighting was brought out in the deliberations after the 1999 Kargil battle.
    • The Kargil Review Committee had called for structural changes in higher defence management.
    • Shekatkar committee, headed by Lt Gen. (retd) D.B. Shekatkar, which had recommended the creation of the post of CDS and theatre commands.

Joint Theatre Command

  • About
    • The idea behind the ‘Theatre Command System’ is to bring synergistic coordination between the three branches of the armed forces.
    • it aims at bringing separate commands for the army, navy, and air force under a unified command spearheaded by a single commander.
  • Countries that follow the Theatre Command System
    • Various countries around the globe already have some form of theatre or joint command in place to bring better integration among their military forces.
    • The USA was the first country to enforce a theatre command system.
    • Russia also started with the restructuring of its defence forces in 2008 and has four theatre commands.
    • China’s theatre command system is said to be based on the US model.
      • Chinese Western Theatre Command covers the region along the Indian border.
  • India’s Current System
    • Currently India has 17 single service commands - 7 of the Army, 7 of the Air Force, and 3 of the Navy.
    • Each of these commands is located at a separate base.
    • India currently has two fully functioning unified commands.
      • Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)
        • It is an integrated theatre command that was set up in 2001, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
        • It was created to safeguard India's strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing the rapid deployment of military assets in the region.
      • Strategic Forces Command (SFC)
        • It is an integrated functional command that was set up in 2003.
        • It is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.
  • Proposed Joint Theatre Command
    • According to the current proposal, there will be five theatres - Northern Land Theatre (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Central sector), Western Land Theatre (Pakistan centric), Eastern Land Theatre, Maritime Theatre Command, and Air Defence Command.
      • Northern Command will not see any change and will remain in its present form for the time being since it is operationally sensitive as it has China and Pakistan besides internal security to look after.
    • MTC will see a merger of the eastern and western naval commands, besides getting elements from the Army and the Air Force.
      • MTC will be headed by a three-star Naval officer and will also have one two-star officer from the IAF and a three-star officer from the Army.
    • ADC will be headed by a three-star IAF officer, along with a three-star Army officer and a two-star Naval officer.
    • The other theatres planned will be headed by three-star Army officers with elements from the IAF and the Navy.

Constraints:

  • It comprises hurdles related to operational command and control over assets.
  • Besides, budgetary allocations, fund distribution, and assets between the army, navy, and air force need to be clearly worked out to enable the setting up of a seamless theatre command.
  • The Indian Army and Indian Air Force have seven commands each while the Indian Navy has three commands. These commands are scattered across the nation and don’t coincide geographically.

Chief of Defence Staff

  • The Chief of Defence Staff will head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) under the Ministry of Defence.
  • It will also be the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
  • CDS will act as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-Services matters.
    • The three Chiefs will continue to advise RM on matters exclusively concerning their respective Services.
    • CDS will not exercise any military command, including over the three Service Chiefs, so as to be able to provide impartial advice to the political leadership.
  • CDS will be a member of the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Raksha Mantri and the Defence Planning Committee chaired by the NSA.
  • It will serve as Military Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority.

Conclusion:

  • Joint Theatre Command will ensure increased coordination to boost the overall fighting capabilities of the Indian armed forces and creates capacities to adapt to the requirements of hybrid warfare along with seamless command centers to meet future challenges.

Source: Indian Express

Mains Question:

Q. What is the Joint Theatre Command and how will it be beneficial to bolster coordination among the defence forces? Critically analyze. (250 Words).