Restructuring Military: Consensus on 3 theatre commands, CDS may submit report by August 31
Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, August 12
As the country’s top military leadership grapples with the structure of the proposed theatre commands, multiple options have emerged on who will have the operational control of these soon-to-be-created commands, besides the structure, hierarchy, rank and status of the theatre commanders.
The Department of Military Affairs (DMA), which works under Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, after deliberations with the services, has arrived at a consensus on having three theatre commands each under a commander controlling all war assets of that geographical area.
The Northern Command will tackle the threat posed by China from across the un-demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the Himalayas, the Western Command will counter challenge from Pakistan and the Maritime Command will be responsible for both sea flanks, the sea-going outreach into the Indo-Pacific, deployments in the Malacca Straits in the east and the Gulf of Aden in the west.
The options on structure of commands, ranks of commanders and crucially who will be in-charge operationally are points being debated and are at a ‘finality’.
The CDS is expected to give his suggestions to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh by the end of this month. The minister will then initiate the decision-making process at the political level to decide on what is seen as the single biggest change to the form and shape of the country’s war-fighting structure.
The National Security Adviser (NSA) and a few senior secretaries of the government are expected to be part of decision making, with inputs from retired officials. The matter will then go to the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s military leadership will have to come up with a definite conclusion on each of the options being studied. Discussions are in the final stage on adopting a structure, sources say, adding a sticking point is to define the position of the Chiefs of the services. Will they cede operational control of the forces to the theatre commander?
The notification in December 2019 that created the post of CDS explicitly bars him from having any operational command over the military. So who will be in-charge operationally or will the government use the option to have an officer, other than the CDS or the three Chiefs, to have operational control.
Also what will be the role of the 17 regional commands of the three services? Will they be subsumed within the theatre commands?
The CDS and the three Chiefs of the Army, Indian Air Force and Navy meet on a monthly basis under the umbrella of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), headed by the CDS. Models of theatre commands of the US, UK and Australia have been examined.
Key steps before nod
- Options on command structure, ranks of commanders and who will be in-charge operationally are being debated
- Once suggestions are made to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he will initiate decision-making process at political level
- NSA, senior secretaries in govt are likely to be part of decision making; matter will then go to PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security for nod
Areas of responsibility
- Northern Command To tackle threat posed by China along Line of Actual Control
- Western Command To counter challenge from Pakistan on western front
- Maritime Command Responsible for both sea flanks, outreach into Indo-Pacific
(Theatre commands, each under a commander, will control all war assets of respective geographical area)
Sticking points remain
- Defining position of the Chiefs of the three services; will they cede operational control of forces to the three theatre commanders?
- Who will be in-charge operationally or will govt use option to have an officer, other than CDS or three Chiefs, to have operational control?
- Role of the 17 regional commands of 3 services; will these be subsumed within theatre commands?
