|
After the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address at the Combined Commanders' Conference held in September this year in Kolkata, the Defence Ministry has fast-tracked the process of setting up new theatre commands, which would help the three defence forces to fight the wars of the future in an integrated and joint manner.
The responsibility of forming the Theatre Command structures has been assigned to the Department of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Defence, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. "The DMA has already done the groundwork of enhancing the integration between the three defence forces and making them work jointly. The DMA is also working towards incorporating the lessons learnt during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in the formation of the structures of the new Theatre Commands," defence sources told ANI. "The frequency of meetings between the three services and the DMA has also been increased to ensure that a detailed discussion is possible on the issue, and the process to activate the proposal at the cabinet level is completed in the near future," they said. The defence forces had agreed in the past to set up three new commands at Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur and Lucknow. The proposed Maritime Theatre Command in Southern India would be responsible for threats from the seas and oceans, while the formation in Jaipur would be responsible for tackling threats from the western side. The northern borders, including those with China, would be the responsibility of the Command in Lucknow. "The defence forces are expected to complete their discussions in the near future and would then make a presentation on the issue to the Defence Minister and the National Security Advisor," the sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Theatre Command issue with top military commanders in Kolkata and praised the role of the forces in Operation Sindoor, where the Indian Air Force played a major role in destroying Pakistan Air Force assets and bases, forcing them to seek a ceasefire. The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan, played a significant role in making joint decisions in the presence of the three services chiefs in the operations room. The DMA is also now working on a project to integrate the networks of the three forces, where they would be able to interact seamlessly with each other while carrying out operations and also during peacetime. (ANI)
|
