The Indian Army is expected to be reorganized by 2022 under five theater commands with defined operations and a seamless command structure for synchronized operation.
Soon after Cabinet's approval with the Department of Military Affairs will be Additional and Joint Secretaries, restructuring three services under the Theater Command has begun under serious consideration with the Special Northern Command of China and the Specific Western Command of Pakistan. India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, has been given a mandate by the Narendra Modi government to create a theater command similar to China and the US.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the remake of Northern Command will begin from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh and continue till Kibithu, the last checkpoint in Arunachal Pradesh, has a military mandate guarding 3,425 km of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). China. The headquarters of this command can be Lucknow.
The Western Command will be remanded from Indira Col on Saltoro Ridge in the Siachen Glacier area with its headquarters prospecting at Gujarat's trip to Jaipur.
The third theater command will be the Peninsular Command; Fourth, a full air defence command; And fifth, a marine command. The Peninsular Command's likely headquarters may be Thiruvananthapuram. The Air Defence Command will not only speed up the country's airstrikes. It will also be responsible for defending Indian airspace through multi-role fighters with all anti-aircraft missiles under its control.
Currently, the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy all defend Indian airspace at different communication frequencies and without synergy. This is even though all Indian Army Corps headquarters are located next to the airport, resulting in duplication of effort and wasteful expenditure.
Planners said there is an option to expand it to an aerospace command according to future requirements.
India will have only one maritime command with the possibility that the Tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Islands Command be merged with it. The task of the maritime command will be to protect the Indian Ocean and the island areas of India and, at the same time, keep the sea lanes free and open from any external pressure.
Although in a nascent stage, the Indian Navy's maritime assets will be kept on the western seaboard in Karwar, on the eastern seaboard in Visakhapatnam, and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. With China emerging as a threat, the Maritime Command's potential headquarters could be the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, and Port Blair could become another significant base for naval operations.
Stereotyping refers to placing Army, Air Force, and Navy units under a single theater commander. The operational command of such combinations would be under one officer from one of the three services.
"Theatricalization of orders is mandatory to integrate the three services' resources to maximize impact in any war. The geographical expansion of cinemas in India calls for integrated orders for strategic decisions and key outcomes that are possible in resource-focused employment," said former Emmy Deputy Chief Lt Gen AS Lamba (retd).
According to senior officials familiar with the matter, all five commands will be headed by commanders of the rank of lieutenant general or equivalent, who will be the first to compete with the current command heads. The Chief of the Army Staff's work, the Chief of the Air Force and the Chief of the Navy, will not operate, but involves raising resources for theater commanders as it is in the US Army.
Suppose the Andaman and Nicobar Command falls under Marine Command, as is being envisioned. In that case, the CDS will have the Armed Forces Special Operations Division, Cyber Command, and the Defence Intelligence Agency under it, with a workforce derived from all three services.
