Gen Bipin Rawat as country’s very first-ever Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is going to full a single year quickly. Besides other matters, the tri-service operations for more synergy in the functioning, new Theatre Level Commands like Air Defence Command come beneath his purview. As has been reported earlier, Gen Rawat had announced that the Indian military will full theatrisation method by 2023.
What does Theaterisation imply?
In his very first interaction with the media earlier this year, Gen Rawat had indicated that there could be various commands like the Peninsular Command (for the southern aspect of the state), an Air Defence Command and other commands in the eastern, northern and western regions.
The Joint Doctrine document published in 2017 is detailed concerning the expectations of a Theatre Level Command and Indian Army has to especially, address its present technological gaps just before participating in a Joint improvement of niche Unified Command techniques.
A Theatre Command shall have particular units from the 3 services: the specialised units from the Army, Navy and Air Force shall operate beneath a widespread Theatre Commander to achieve a Tactical benefit more than the adversary.
Why?
Rationalization of warfighting sources, the efficiency of executions and to face the Threat from our most important adversary China, which has an established Theatre Level commands.
Is the Indian Army prepared for Theatre Command?
No. Theatre Command shall be extremely dependent on the inter-operability amongst the units for the 3 services, which is not but obtainable. Already, the Indian Army has many difficulties like SDR primarily based contemporary Joint Tactical Radio communication implementation for Tactical benefits.The availability of a contemporary completely safe digital communication for voice and information services amongst the Tank units is vital to accomplish Situational Awareness and, in turn, these Tank units are to be digitally integrated with IAF fighter jets operating in an Air help function. Army needs to now contain the nicely-evolved defensive and offensive techniques of IAF inside its personal Real-time operation schemes for an powerful exploitation of the Air assets.
Which suggests that the Joint operations of Indian Army with IAF shall be far more than a mere hierarchal organization for communicating orders in contemporary interoperable warfare. Each Theatre Command almost certainly is going to highlight more of the inter-service interoperability shortcomings as a hurdle to attaining the preferred efficiency requirements which are re-defined now for Theatre Level outcomes.
“Maybe it is time for the Army to introspect their warfare Doctrines and Concepts before inclusive operations with the IAF assets as a single Theatre Level Command,” a senior officer observed.
Indian Army being the most important beneficiary by possessing handle more than more quantity of complete-fledged Theatre Level Commands in the future shall do nicely by shouldering more technically duty to operationalise the Theatre level warfighting capabilities. This might help Maritime Theatre Command (MTC) and Air Defence Command to be more objective in method when operating with the Land forces.
Why?
The IAF operates some of the most recent multirole fighter jets and sharing of such sources beneath a Unified Command by Indian Army might not be completely leveraging the IAF capabilities due to want of hi-tech systems like Battlefield Management systems. IAF has created its personal advance Teal Time Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) for Command and Control of Air assets. An inter-linking of AICCS with equivalent Battlefield Management System (as and when it evolves) shall leverage the correct prospective of Land-Air integration.
Battlefield Management System: A essential technologies for Indo-China border
Defining the Battlefield Management level philosophies at this late a stage for a Theatre Command implementation that also involving most recent IAF assets might be detrimental to the early readiness of these Land-primarily based Theatre Commands. The boots on the ground call for more technologies on a soldier himself and it can be a race against time to digitalise the human-centric Army.
India’s Maritime Theatre Command structure: Know more about it
The interoperability in a multinational Task Force exactly where Indian Land forces also shall be participating beneath a Theatre level, needs far more digital work now by Indian Armed Forces than ever just before.
Evolution of Indian Navy to a battle Ready Maritime Theatre Command
Complete Theatrisation method by 2023
The CDS has stated it will take 3 years to have full Theatrisation. With Army possessing bigger representation in all the Tri-services organizations, it might be a prudent mandate to make Indian Army accountable for centrally implementing the Theatre Level technological options (like Tactical Data Link, Software Defined Radios and so on.) for the tri-services, even when Maritime and Air Defence Theatre Commands are most likely to be formed prior to the launch of Land-primarily based Theatre Commands of the Army.