Integrated Theatre Command- Explained Pointwise

India boasts one of the world’s largest and most disciplined militaries, with approximately 1.4 million personnel across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Despite its military prowess, India lacks a cohesive apex-level management structure to unify military power during conflicts and strengthen civil-military relations in peacetime.

The creation of Theatre Commands (Theaterization) has been hailed as a major military reform for better responses during conflict. The plan is to have five unified or theatre commands, which will help in better planning and military response, and aim to have a unified approach to fighting any future war. But, the entire process has been riddled with a visible lack of consensus amongst the three arms of the military forces.

What is Integrated Theatre Command (TC)? What is the existing command structure in India?

Integrated Theatre Command- It is a military structure which seeks to integrate the capabilities of the three services– army, air force and navy– in order to optimally utilize their resources for wars and operations.

Organisation of Theatre Command- These ‘unified combat commands’ are organized either on a geographical basis (with a defined mission in a specific ‘area of responsibility’ somewhere on the globe) or on a functional basis.

International operation of Theatre command- Almost all major countries like China, Russia, the US, the UK and France work on a theatre command concept. For example- China’s Western Theatre Command looks after the entire borders with India.

What has been the committee recommendations on Integrated Theatre commands in India?

What are the recent steps taken by the Government on Integrated Theatre Command?

Proposed Organizational structure for Integrated Theatre Command 

What are the benefits of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITC)?

1. Increased efficiency- It will lead to rationalization of war fighting resources, and efficiency of executions resulting in an integrated action to counter threats.

2. Rationalization of the command structure- The present command structure in the Indian military is pretty uneven. The Indian Army has seven commands, while a much smaller Indian Air Force has a similar number of commands and the Indian Navy has three commands. This structure will be rationalized under the theatre command concept.

3. Effective neutralization of Chinese threat- China’s Western Theater Command looks after the entire borders with India, unlike India where it has multiple Commands and structures to respond with different officers at the top.

4. Cost-effective in the long run- Theaterization will help in better planning and military response and also bring down costs. While the cost may go up in the immediate future since all theaters would have to be armed with sufficient systems, it will prove to be cost-effective in the long term as all acquisitions will be a unified one.

5. Operational Freedom- The integrated theatre commander will not be answerable to individual Services, and will be free to train, equip and exercise his command to make it a cohesive fighting force capable of achieving designated goals.

What are the Challenges in the establishment of Integrated Theatre Command in India?

1. Inter-Service Competition- The intense focus of each service on its own assets and influence can hinder the creation of synergy among the services.

2. Massive funding- Creation of infrastructure for the Theatre commands will require huge amounts of funding.

3. Different service cultures- The service culture and way of functioning of the three services is very different. The Indian Army has regimental affiliations and is bound by its legacy. Finding the right mix of service culture remains a challenge.

4. Perception of Army Dominance- There are concerns that the integration of the commands that may perpetuate the perceived dominance of the army and provide it with greater operational control.

5. Infrastructure and Logistical coordination issues- Coordinating and synchronizing the infrastructure and logistics requirements across different services could be complex and resource-intensive.

6. Lack of National Security Strategy (NSS)- Many retired military professionals have criticised implementing theatre commands without having a coherent National Security Strategy (NSS).

What Should be the Way Forward?

1. A supportive ecosystem- In order for Theatre Commands to be effective, there needs to be a supporting ecosystem. India still remains the 2nd largest arms importer in the world. Hence, indigenous technology and hardware by self-reliance should be a priority.

2. Managing internal & external security- There needs to be an assessment of how the internal and external security will be managed under the theatre commands. It is because there are lakhs of paramilitary personnel and the Indian Coast Guard.

3. Parliament’s role- The legislature needs to play a far more pro-active role. A Dedicated Standing Committee of Parliament should be created. It needs to be staffed with military advisers and other professionals to independently monitor the transition very minutely.

4. Geography-based theatres- Keeping in mind the changing nature of threats, India can also aim for four geography-based theatres—Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western—each equipped to use land, sea, air, space, and cyber power to handle all threats in their areas.

5. Talent based appointments- No theatre should ‘belong’ to any service, and command appointments should be decided based on talent and experience in joint operations.

6. Clear working out of Budgetary allocations-  Budgetary allocations and the distribution of funds need to be clearly worked out to enable the setting up of a seamless theatre command system

7. Modular structure- In the theaterization debate, India must not forget to modularize its armed forces. The present big hierarchical formations need to be divided into many small networked brigades. Multiple studies have shown that these are superior to the division-based structure in terms of deployability, employability, and sustainability.

India operates the 4^th largest military in the World, and with each service acting independent of each other, the formation of theatre commands is indeed a need of the hour. But, the successful launch of the Theatre Commands should not be rushed. Issues and concerns of all the stakeholders must be resolved first.