How is the army advancing on theater command? Army Chief explained in detail about 3 step approach

New Delhi : Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday outlined a three-phase approach towards increasing unity in the armed forces. he/she said this at a time when the Army is ready to present its theaterization model before the decision makers. Theaterization is a long-awaited reform for best utilization of military resources to fight future wars. This requires jointness and integration.

How far has the integration work reached?

Army Chief General Dwivedi said these things during a program at the National Defense College. General Dwivedi said the first phase, or ‘Jointness 1.0’, focuses on integrating acquisition planning, curriculum and operational joint logistics nodes. Of these, three are fully operational and four more are in progress. he/she said Jointness 2.0 has seen progress in aligning principles, SOPs and creating a joint maintenance organization for major platforms.

Will implement Jointness 3.0

General Dwivedi said that towards the implementation of Jointness 3.0, the Army aims to expand common standard operating procedures, technical sharing as well as resources such as UAVs and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) systems. Efforts are underway to integrate the Central Armed Police Forces. he/she said that about 180 areas have been identified for jointness. Of these, 30% targets have been achieved and work on the remaining is being carried out at a rapid pace.

What is Integrated Theater Command?

The Central Government is creating ‘Integrated Theater Command’ to improve coordination among the three armies. Theater Command i.e. Integrated Command will be a system under which the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force will efficiently use each other’s capabilities with better coordination. The theatreisation model being adopted in the Army includes the establishment of a China-centric Northern Theater Command in Lucknow, a Pakistan-centric Western Theater Command in Jaipur and a Maritime Theater Command in Thiruvananthapuram.

The meeting was held in Lucknow on 5 September

The Army Chief had said on October 1 that initially there were some problems and the pace was slow. But now the speed will be much faster. Jointness was emphasized at the Joint Commanders’ Conference in Lucknow on 5 September. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stressed on developing a joint approach, preparing for future wars and giving a coordinated, swift and proportionate response to provocations.