CDS Appointment & Command Restructuring: News & Discussions

[VinodTK]

China–Pakistan axis makes theatre commands a must for Indian military

India’s defence establishment faces an unforgiving reality as the strategic environment presently surrounding the country is more volatile than at any point in recent memory. China’s sweeping military modernisation and its ever-growing strategic embrace with Pakistan pose a formidable two-front challenge for New Delhi. Simultaneously, the character of conflict has evolved. Around the world, wars have become multi-domain contests, spanning cyber, space, information, and electronic warfare alongside traditional land, sea, and air power. Against this backdrop, persisting with a fragmented command structure is a risk the Indian military cannot afford. Theatreisation—integrating the Army, Navy and Air Force under unified commands—is the essential structural reform that will determine whether India can deter aggression and respond with agility in the decades ahead.

The Threat Landscape Has Changed

China’s military reforms offer a sobering contrast. In less than two years, Beijing reorganised its forces into five theatre commands, enabling unified planning and execution across vast geographies. The result is a force capable of concentrating power at short notice and exploiting weaknesses in fragmented structures. Pakistan, though less formidable, acts in close alignment with China, intensifying the possibility of simultaneous pressure along India’s northern and western borders.

For New Delhi, this reality is compounded by the changing character of war. The battlefield is no longer confined to land, sea, and air. In the fast-paced era of technology, cyber intrusions, electronic disruption, and space-based surveillance now shape combat as, if not more, decisively as infantry brigades or fighter squadrons. A command structure not designed for such interwoven threats will struggle to keep pace with adversaries who blend kinetic and non-kinetic tools into a single operational design.

Towards a Unified Warfighting Machine

Theatreisation promises a decisive shift in how India applies its combat power. Instead of three services running parallel campaigns, a single commander would wield operational control of all forces in a specific theatre. This model eliminates duplication, integrates intelligence, and enables commanders to act on a shared picture. It will also enable joint planning and bring synergy through single-point decision-making, replacing the divergent perspectives of separate services.

The operational benefits are matched by economic prudence. Maintaining 17 independent commands fosters duplication in logistics, training, and procurement. Integrated commands consolidate these functions, freeing resources for modernisation. Every rupee saved can be redirected towards technologies that matter most in the coming decades—artificial intelligence, swarm drones, hypersonic platforms, and resilient communications.

Addressing Institutional Concerns

The most vocal reservations come from the Indian Air Force, which fears its scarce assets may be diluted across multiple commands. Air power is most effective when applied flexibly, and this concern deserves respect. Yet the solution lies in careful design, not in halting reform. Integrated commands can be structured to preserve the strategic versatility of the IAF while embedding its capabilities into theatre-level plans. In modern joint operations, air power is not a peripheral support but a central enabler. Theatreisation ensures its integration rather than its marginalisation.

Similarly, the role of the Service Chiefs will evolve rather than diminish. They will retain responsibility for raising, training, and sustaining forces, while Theatre Commanders apply them in operations. This division reflects global best practice, including in countries with proud military traditions. What it requires is a cultural move—from service-first to joint-first thinking.

The Implementation Challenge

The road to theatreisation will not be without friction. Integrating logistics chains, creating joint education pipelines, and cultivating officers experienced in combined operations will demand time and political will. India has already laid some of the groundwork. The appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff in 2019 and the passage of the Inter-Services Organisations Act in 2023, which granted unified commanders disciplinary powers across services, have created the legal and institutional scaffolding.

The next step is execution. A phased rollout, such as establishing three core commands covering the northern border, the western frontier, and the maritime domain, offers a logical starting point. This “one border, one force” principle would ensure accountability and clarity in the regions where India is most likely to face sustained challenges.

The Cost of Delay

The pace of reform has been slow compared with the urgency of the threat. Debate is healthy, but prolonged hesitation carries risks. Every year India remains bound to legacy structures is a year its adversaries gain in relative advantage. Strategic lethargy is itself a vulnerability.

India’s armed forces have repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary courage and professionalism. Reform does not diminish those achievements; it ensures they are supported by a structure capable of delivering their full potential. Theatreisation is not an optional upgrade—it is the foundation for credible deterrence and effective defence in the 21st century.

A Call to Act

The government has designated 2025 as the “Year of Defence Reforms.” That ambition must now be matched by implementation. The transformation from a fragmented system to a theatre-based structure is a generational shift, one that will define India’s ability to secure its interests and project stability in its region.

The case for theatreisation rests on strategic necessity, operational logic, and economic common sense. Delay carries costs India cannot afford. The choice before New Delhi is clear: act with resolve, or risk being outpaced by adversaries whose reforms are already complete. The moment for decisive change has arrived./quote]

From: WION