Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 26: After China formed `Theatre Command’ a couple of months back by re-structuring military commands and giving joint control to one Chief Military Commander, Indian Army has also been asked to study the Chinese plan for long term integration of three Services-Army, Indian Air Force and Navy-to have joint commands.
Official sources told the Excelsior that this was one of the major issues being discussed and debated in the ongoing conference of top Army Commanders, which began yesterday in New Delhi and will continue till April 30. The issue was taken up in the Army Commanders’ conference on the directions of the Defence Ministry.
Only a couple of months back, China had taken the world including its neighbours by surprise by re-structuring its military commands and converting them into five `Theatre Commands’ with control of one Senior Commander over one Command.
Sources said the Defence Ministry has also asked the Army Commanders, who were debating crucial strategic issues during their six days long conference, to study the Chinese re-structuring plan and whether it was feasible and beneficial in India. Accordingly, they said, the issue is being discussed threadbare and the impact of having joint commanding on Army, IAF and Navy.
“Though the proposal can’t be implemented in India in short term, it was being studied for long-term plan and whether moves can be set afoot for its implementation,” sources said.
The Indian Air Force and Navy, during their recent conferences had studied the proposal and it was now the turn of Army to discuss and debate it thoroughly. Later, the three Service chiefs would discuss the proposal with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar before the Government of India takes a decision on whether to go for re-structuring or not.
According to sources, after the conference of Army Commanders is over on April 30, the three Service chiefs and other top Commanders of Army, IAF and Navy will sit together and discuss issue threadbare among themselves.
As per the proposal, the Joint Command will place resources of Army, Navy and IAF at the command of Senior Military Commander, which will be called the `Theatre Command’. Presently, India has one Joint Command in Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Sources said the Central Government especially the Defence Ministry was keenly following each and every step taken by the Chinese Government in their military preparations as it didn’t want to lag much behind the neighbour in matching their strength though it has admitted that it did lag behind China in infrastructure along borders and other strategic assets as the previous Government never thought on this front.
Recently, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had visited China and met their counterparts and other senior Chinese and military leadership to discuss bilateral and defence ties and boundary agreement. Though the two countries have near normal relations between them, India didn’t want to take any chances in strengthening its forces to match the Chinese strength, sources said.
Before the reshuffle, China had seven military area commands headquartered in Shenyang, Beijing, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Lanzhou. The five theater commands, under the administration of the Chief Military Commander (CMC), were formed based on the functions and organs of the former military area commands, with the functions of command and logistics support improved.
Sources said China has not kept its Joint Military Commands as secret but made them public as soon as they were formed after integration of Army, Navy and Air Force. No other neighbouring country of India including Pakistan has such Commands.
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