The plan includes three such formations: A China-focused Northern Theatre Command, a Pakistan-focused Western Theatre Command, and a Maritime Theatre Command.
Three sets of recommendations on reorganising the armed forces under integrated theatre commands have been submitted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and a joint operations centre aimed at further enhancing jointness and integration is scheduled to be in place by the end of May, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Monday.
Key Points
- Three proposals on integrated theatre commands submitted to Defence Minister, marking a major step in military reforms.
- Joint operations centre to be operational by May-end, aimed at boosting coordination across armed forces.
- Theatre commands will unify Army, Navy, and Air Force under single commanders for enhanced operational efficiency.
- New commands planned with focus on China, Pakistan, and maritime domains reflecting strategic priorities.
- Additional tri-services agencies and future warfare units planned under broader defence reform roadmap for 2047.
Integrated theatre commands plan
At the Major General Samir Sinha Memorial Lecture, organised by the think-tank United Service Institution in the national capital, the CDS spoke on Jointness and Theatreisation: Key Challenges and Progress Made.
"The basic foundation of theatre commands will rest on the concepts of jointness and integration," the CDS said, adding that the "time-consuming" task of ensuring both has been undertaken with particular focus over the past two-and-a-half years.
Joint operations centre rollout
The geographically defined integrated theatre commands, which will be the most significant military reform in India since Independence, will integrate units from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force under a single commander.
This is expected to enhance efficiency by unifying personnel, assets, infrastructure, and logistics across the three services.
Tri-services military integration
The plan includes three such formations: A China-focused Northern Theatre Command, a Pakistan-focused Western Theatre Command, and a Maritime Theatre Command.
China, for its part, implemented major military reforms in 2015, transitioning from regional commands to a theatre-based structure.
"Creation of theatre commands will lead to faster and more reforms in the armed forces, and we are not waiting for the creation of theatre commands to usher in those reforms," the CDS said.
Work to expand the Defence Space Agency and the Defence Cyber Agency is already underway, the CDS stated, while efforts to establish an organisation for cognitive warfare are also progressing, with the file moved and financial clearance secured.
The CDS also said work is underway to establish a Defence Geospatial Agency and a Defence Communication Agency.
"Work on all these verticals is continuing in parallel," he said.
A 2047 vision document unveiled in March included the planned creation of four new specialised tri-services organisations: DGA, Data Force, Drone Force, and Cognitive Warfare Action Force.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
© 2026