Defence rejig: India must move faster on theatre-focused armed forces

livemint.com:

For efficiency, the form of an instrument must follow its function. This logic applies to India’s defence too, which is why there is no valid argument against aligning our armed forces to focus on potential theatres of war. How well we fare could depend on how well we’re geared for hostilities on a particular front—be it western, northern or maritime.

As a departure from the legacy of different forces armed and trained apart for land, air and sea combat, it may seem disruptive to go in for a theatre-focused overhaul, but a better fighting stance would be worth the effort. This rationale is well understood in policy and defence circles. Yet, the going has been slow.

Nearly half a decade after the country appointed its first chief of defence staff (CDS) to oversee this project, reports recently surfaced of a concrete plan for integrated theatre commands (ITCs) to replace the old command system. As proposals go, it is inarguably pragmatic in terms of the leadership roles and command centres it envisages. Apart from a CDS on top of an apex apparatus for defence, the reported plan would have a vice-CDS appointed of a general’s rank (or equivalent) to look after strategic planning, capability development and procurement matters.

It also envisions a deputy CDS of a lieutenant-general’s level to overlook operations, intelligence and asset allocations. For the idea of getting India’s Army, Navy and Air Force into joint formats for action in specific theatres to prove effective, how the chain of command will work is crucial. Under the plan, as reported, all forces assigned to the western theatre facing Pakistan will be under Jaipur’s army base as their command headquarters, those braced for China in the northern theatre will be