The Narendra Modi government took the right steps by awarding Padma Vibhushan to the late Defence Chief of Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who was killed in a helicopter crash last month but was still wearing a seat belt. This award is well deserved for a CDS who put the shoulders of respect for the military above all material interests and fight to be restored to its rightful glory.

While General Rawat is history, the Modi government and its national security planners must fulfill the mission of the former CDS by declaring a military theater command in India’s 75th year of independence. Before Gen. Rawat was killed in Nilgiris, he had sent final drafts of military theater command structures and promotions to the Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs of staff, instructing them to return the report by April 2022, and Attach comments (if any) to incorporate into the final structure.

Not that the Modi government put much-needed theater command on the back burner following the tragic death of General Rawat. National security planners held a series of informal and formal meetings with the three chiefs to address structural or operational issues, a movement that was positive. The government has been tight-lipped about the Military Theater Command, but it was clear in the final announcement that each of the three services would take the lead in countering India in the event of war, while the other two supported it. The Indian Army will take the lead in guarding the 15,106.7 km Indian land border, the Navy will guard the 7,516.6 km coastline, and the Air Force will guard the sky, defending the country from any intrusion from the north or west. In the Military Theater Command, all three services will play a clear role and will not be reduced to auxiliary arms as the Indian Air Force has feared in the past.

Although the basic purpose of the Military Theater is to integrate and unite the three services, this is easier said than done, as can be seen from India’s first and only ITS command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Although the Unified Command became operational in 2001, the three services often operate in silos and lack the necessary synergy. The truth is that synergy and integration only emerge in times of crisis, not naturally, otherwise the color of the uniform determines operational behavior.

National security planners and General Rawat had planned to merge the ANI command into the Maritime Theater Command and conduct a massive military upgrade of Indian island territory at the mouth of the Strait of Malacca, the main passage to the South China Sea. India has considerable influence. Other entry routes to Southeast Asia and North Asia.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times