Military Theaterisation Plan Is Ready 24 Years After Kargil Committee Recommended It — India Can’t Afford Any More Delays

Now that the roadmap for creating Integrated Theatre Commands (ITC) is set to be unveiled at the ongoing Lucknow Military Commanders Conference, the long-overdue reforms should be implemented as quickly as possible.

There is simply no room for delays in implementing this long-awaited reform.

Theatre Commands were first suggested by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC) in 2000, which was formed after India won the bloody Kargil war against Pakistan.

Since then, almost two and a half decades have passed, and still, theatre commands are nowhere to be seen.

Firstly, in the early part of the 21st century until the late 2020s, there were reservations by the political leadership and the defence ministry about implementing these reforms, primarily due to the armed forces officers having a greater say in military matters over the politicians and bureaucrats — which they simply could not accept.

Only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of theatre commands from the Red Fort on 15 August 2019, initial discussions between the three services began.

Now that the politicians were on board and the bureaucracy was forced to accept, the three services began to drag their feet.

Ego clashes and concerns over the seniority and status of officers in relation to theatre commanders began to emerge. The Air Force added to these delays by insisting on not dividing (or limiting) its already depleted fighter assets to geography — in other words, under a geography-specific theatre commander.

The Air Force’s primary contention, largely valid, was that its fighters possess inherent strategic mobility. The same fighters can conduct bombing missions in the eastern sector and air defence patrols over Pakistan within a day, without landing.

As if the delays of more than two decades were not criminal enough, the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, died in a tragic crash in December 2021.

The government took almost a year to appoint his successor, General Anil Chauhan.

With this, another set of discussions began between the services, which have stretched until now. This is despite the forces being fully aware of the disastrous consequences of going to war without proper preparations and joint planning, especially with China at the border.

The Russia-Ukraine war is one such great example.

Despite making large inroads inside Ukraine and being very close to Kyiv (the Ukrainian capital), the lack of joint planning and the absence of the Russian Air Force and artillery led to a loss of momentum, forcing a retreat and abandonment of initial gains.

Needless to say, the war is still going on and has turned into a bloody stalemate.

The Chinese, with their well-established theatre commands, will not give India any breathing space. They can easily out-manufacture and out-produce India with their strong industrial base and come out on top in a small skirmish against India.

Regardless of how strong and well-trained Indian infantry soldiers are, modern warfare relies on technology and effective joint planning and execution, not just grit and bravery.

Fortunately, the Indian government has set a firm deadline for May 2024 to implement these reforms within a year of the new government's swearing-in, and the reforms seem to have gathered pace.

However, since the Indian system has a habit of putting up self-imposed roadblocks, as seen from the fiasco over the appointment of the successor to CDS Bipin Rawat, nothing can be ruled out.

Given the Chinese presence along the Tibet border in the Himalayas, India cannot afford further delays in implementing this crucial reform.