Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday revealed a three-phase plan to enhance jointness across the Indian armed forces, signaling a significant push towards the long-awaited theaterisation model. This announcement comes as the military prepares to present its theaterisation plan to key decision-makers.
Speaking at the National Defence College on "Decade of Transformation: Indian Army in Stride with the Future and Nation Building," General Dwivedi outlined the progress made in achieving jointness, a critical element in optimizing military resources for future warfare.
The first phase, termed "Jointness 1.0," focused on integrating acquisition planning, training courses, and operational joint logistic nodes. General Dwivedi reported that three such nodes are fully operational, with four more in progress.
"Jointness 2.0" saw advancements in aligning doctrines, standard operating procedures, and establishing joint maintenance organizations for major military platforms.
Looking ahead to "Jointness 3.0," the army aims to expand common operational planning processes, technology sharing, and the joint utilization of resources such as UAVs and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. Efforts are also underway to integrate the Central Armed Police Forces.
General Dwivedi highlighted that around 180 areas for jointness have been identified, with 30% of the goals already achieved and work on the remaining areas being accelerated.
The theaterisation model under consideration involves establishing a China-centric northern theatre command in Lucknow, a Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and a maritime theatre command in Thiruvananthapuram. While acknowledging initial delays, the army chief expressed confidence in the current momentum of the process.
This emphasis on jointness follows a strong call for a unified vision and synergistic response to security challenges by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Joint Commanders’ Conference in September. Furthermore, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) recently conducted a crash course for senior military officers focused on jointness and integration, essential prerequisites for the creation of theatre commands.
In addition to jointness, General Dwivedi addressed force restructuring initiatives aimed at bolstering war-fighting capabilities. These include "Rebal 1.5" to refine command, control, and training, and "Rebal 2.0" to adapt structures for emerging diplomatic, information, military, and economic interdependencies.
Key initiatives include establishing integrated battle groups for the mountain strike corps, forming specialized units like the Signals Technology Experimentation and Adaptation Group (STEAG) for developing secure mobile networks, and expanding cyber, electronic warfare, and intelligence units.
General Dwivedi emphasized the army's commitment to modernization, highlighting advancements in precision fire capabilities, long-range munitions, and logistics efficiency through the use of drones and robotic mules.
