Top military officials to deliberate on tri-services synergy in financial planning on Monday

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan and senior military officials are likely to hold wide-ranging deliberations on Monday on the government's plan to bring greater synergy among the Armed Forces in the area of financial planning in line with ensuring tri-services jointness.

Gen Chauhan is set to elaborate on the plans while chairing an apex conference on financial synergy and cohesion in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, officials said on Sunday.

The deliberations on ensuring synergy among the Armed Forces on financial planning are taking place amid the government's ambitious plans to roll out theatre commands.

Under the theaterisation model, the government seeks to integrate the capabilities of the Army, the Air Force and the Navy and optimally utilise their resources for wars and operations.

As per the theaterisation plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory.

At present, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force have separate commands.

The theatre commands are being planned to integrate the capabilities of the three services and to ensure optimal utilisation of their resources.

The conference is aimed to enhance cohesion and synergy in financial issues of the Armed Forces and will see the participation of senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Controller General of Defence Accounts and service headquarters among others, an official readout said.

The conference, aligned with the objectives set for the ongoing drive on integration and jointness in the Armed Forces, is being coordinated by the headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff (IDS).

The IDS is an apex level tri-service organisation for issues relating to the Indian Armed Forces.

Discussions are scheduled on aspects of understanding the perspectives of various stakeholders in defence finance and finding solutions to challenges faced in defence procurements, the readout by the defence ministry said.

It said the financial advisor (defence services) and director general (acquisitions) will also give specific talks on the roles and actions undertaken by their organisations in expeditious procurement.

One of the key mandates of the Chief of Defence Staff is to work towards implementation of the theaterisation plan.