'Theatrisation right on track': Army chief Upendra Dwivedi says theatre commands may be seen in 2-3 years

New Delhi: India’s long awaited theatre commands may have to wait for "another two to three years" for implementation, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi said on Saturday, dropping clear hints that the much-debated reform proposal may not be realised immediately.

"The theatrisation is on the right track... We are hopeful that the new Chief of Defence Staff should be able to take the journey forward and in next 2-3 years we should be able to see it is happening on the ground," Gen Dwivedi said at a media interaction on the sidelines of the passing out parade of the 150th course at the National Defence Academy, Pune.

The Army Chief said all discussions on theatrisation were over within the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the complete report was submitted to the Defence Minister. It is currently undergoing a review by various stakeholders.

The outgoing CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, who retired on Saturday has submitted his recommendations on the formation of theatre commands to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after extensive consultations with the three services and other government stakeholders.

Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani who is slated to take over as India’s third Chief of Defence Staff on Sunday, will carry forward the reforms in higher defence including the creation of theatre commands.

“The CDS and the three present chiefs, including the outgoing Navy Chief have taken a conscious view that all the major interests of all three services are met with. Whenever there is a kind of synergy that needs to be brought in, there will be some kind of a giveaway by all three services,” he said.

“The service chiefs will be responsible for the raise, train and sustain whereas theatre commanders will be tasked with operational orchestration of the forces,” the Army Chief said.

India currently has 17 individual commands shared between the Army (7), Air Force (7) and Navy (3). The plan is to have three commands looking after the borders with China and Pakistan, and the oceans.

Asserting that the forces are ready for Operation Sindoor 2.0, Gen Dwivedi said future battles will be shaped by technologies ranging from artificial intelligence and cyber space to space, going beyond the traditional areas of the land, air and sea.

Modern battlefields have become highly transparent, he said, adding that military planners must remain cautious about deployments and force protection measures.

"What we have seen over a period of time is 24/7. The battlefield is so transparent that every movement is known to the other side. We have to be very cautious in terms of our deployment, employment and the protection required for troops as well as the civilians in the border areas," he said.