The idea of forming integrated military Theatre Commands gains momentum in recent times. What is an integrated theatre command? Does India really need such type of commands? Analyse.
Refer – The Indian Express
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Shankaranand 6 years
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IAS Parliament 6 years
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
Integrated theatre command
· An integrated theatre command envisages a unified command of the three Services, under a single commander, for geographical theatres that are of security concern.
· The commander of such a force will be able to bring to bear all resources at his disposal (from the IAF, the Army and the Navy) with seamless efficacy.
· 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.
Concerns
· The proposal for standalone theatre commands like the pilot in Andaman & Nicobar Islands lacks clarity on the overall picture.
· There are also underlying fears about the smaller Services losing their autonomy and importance.
· The Indian Air force has also expressed that it doesn’t have enough resources to allocate them dedicatedly to different theatre commanders.
· The Navy considers the current model of control by the Navy Headquarters ideally suited for its strategic role.
Way Ahead
· India is not geographically large enough to be divided into different theatres, as resources from one theatre can easily be moved to another theatre.
· The evolving nature of the warfare has changed the way combat is carried out and the focus on integrated commands might actually be redundant.
· Further, it's only for far off offensive missions that theatre commands are more suited to and home defence is largely done through conventional commands.
· With technological advancements in weaponry, the focus should be more on upending the defence arsenal and its operability.
· The future battle field is lesser about mobilizing large armies and more about better surveillance, and cyber capabilities to pre-empt attacks.
· In this context, reducing the tooth-to-tail ratio (combatants-to-support staff) and improving the potency of the tail operators is vital for the military.
