The government is making another desperate push to fulfil its long-standing promise of establishing military theatre commands. A revised plan has been developed with the broad outlines apparently signed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the three Service Chiefs. This plan is now awaiting final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). It is anticipated that the revised plan for the establishment of military theatre commands will receive final approval before the retirement of the current CDS, General Anil Chauhan, also coinciding with the first anniversary of ‘Operation Sindoor,’ which was launched against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025.
India’s theatre commands plan is a massive structural reform aimed at unifying its 17 service-specific commands into three adversary-based Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs). The goal is to move from siloed operations to a unified command structure that can handle modern multi-domain warfare, including cyber and space, under a single operational commander for each specific geographical region. As of April 2026, the plan has been refined to focus on specific adversaries and domains rather than broad geography. Under the revised plan, there will be only three theatre commands: the Northern Theatre Command aimed at China, the Western Theatre Command targeting Pakistan and the Maritime Theatre Command.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) explicitly included the establishment of military theatre commands in its 2024 election manifesto to ensure “more efficient operations”, even though it was given an in-principle approval by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017. In 2014, shortly after assuming charge, Modi attended his first Combined Commanders’ Conferences, where he observed a lack of synergy and issued a broad political directive to improve military integration. In 2019, Modi made the first major public move toward this goal by announcing the creation of the CDS from the ramparts of the Red Fort, which served as the operational catalyst for theatre command planning. Following the 2024 re-election, the government designated 2025 as the year for rollout, even as it declared that year to be the ‘Year of Reforms’ with the CDS and Service Chiefs signing off on the finalised three-command structure by early 2026.
Further, under the new plan, there will be a clear division of roles between operational leadership and administrative support. The three key theatre commands will be responsible for ‘force application’, which will entail planning and executing actual military operations. They will likely be four-star rank officers reporting to the CDS. The three service chiefs will come under what is going to be called ‘force generation’ that will focus on “raise, train and sustain”, or RTS, to provide equipped and trained forces to the theatre commanders. Another key aspect of the revised plan is going to be the creation of a new post, ‘Vice Chief of Defence Staff’ – a new four-star position proposed to handle strategic planning and capability development.
Therefore, the new plan basically envisages the creation of eight four-star rank officers, including the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a new Vice Chief of Defence Staff (VCDS), the three Service Chiefs, and the three Theatre Commanders. In a major signalling to Pakistan, the government expects to operationalise the first theatre command by May 2026, likely serving as a template for the full transition, which is estimated to take roughly two years.
Implementation Challenges
Unlike previous times, when the plan for theaterisation did not take off mainly due to differences of opinion between the three services, especially from the Indian Air Force, this time it seems the matter has turned slightly more complicated. According to top-level sources, while the three service chiefs have given their nod under duress, officers in the second rung are not much enthused.
High-level sources have indicated that post ‘Operation Sindoor’, which took place from 7-10 May in 2025, the majority opinion within the three armed forces is that a complex theaterisation of one of the world’s largest armed forces is not required. This is because, sources said, theaterisation is all about coordination amongst the three armed forces – an aspect that was amply evident during the kinetic response to Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor’ when the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy worked in tandem to dismantle terror camps and eliminate the perpetrators and planners behind the Pahalgam attack.
On March 10, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled ‘Defence Forces Vision 2047: A Roadmap for a Future-Ready Indian Military’ that outlined a strategic plan to modernise India’s armed forces into an integrated, technologically advanced force by India’s centenary of independence. While the document spoke about four core pillars and strategy, theaterisation was not mentioned there explicitly, but the concept was spread out under the broad contours of “jointness and synergy” and “multi-domain operations”, even as it mentioned a comprehensive approach to securing national interests by 2047.
The pressing question that lingers is whether all three branches of the Indian armed services will effectively integrate and coordinate their operations in the current geopolitical climate, which is characterised by the resurgence of active warfare, encompassing both conventional and non-conventional forms. Theaterisation requires streamlining command structures and resources, enabling a more unified and responsive military strategy. However, as we assess the feasibility of successful integration and coordination, it is essential to consider various factors, including strategic doctrine, inter-service rivalry, and the adaptability of command structures.
The ultimate measure of success for theaterisation will be tested in real combat scenarios, where the effectiveness of joint operations will be critical. The ability of these forces to operate in tandem, leveraging their unique strengths while compensating for each other’s weaknesses, will be paramount in ensuring national security. Therefore, the effectiveness and readiness of this integration process will only be fully validated when India confronts actual warfare, where the stakes are exceedingly high. The outcome of such conflicts could very well dictate the future of military strategy in the region, impacting not just defence policy but also international relations and regional stability.
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Nayanima Basu is a senior independent journalist.
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