This is what I think an alternate new Indian Theatre Command structure could look like. I am not an expert or an insider, there are a lot of things which need to be sorted out and it may take years before anything like this becomes real. So take it as such. Two big obstacles I can think of is creation of a Missile Force and IAF’s reluctance to a Theatre Command structure for itself. Shortage of money goes without saying.
Image is generated by AI, so kindly excuse the errors.
I am imagining a total of five Regional Commands, each one headed by a 3 star officer (or 4 star?), reporting to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
- Northern Command, Dehradoon
AOR: J&K, Laddakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
FORCES: Army, Air Force and Missile Force
It has to be the strongest one to manage two very difficult fronts. Will need specialised mountain warfare army units with representation of Dogras, Laddakhis and other Pahadi communities. Airbases in this area are rather limited, so may need a few new bases and expansion of existing ones. Could use some new Air Force infrastructure Udhampur, Dehradoon and 1-2 other places.
- Eastern Command, Kolkata
AOR: Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nagaland, Mizoram, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.
FORCES: Army, Air Force, Missile Force and Navy
It has to take care of highly sensitive Indo-Tibet border area as well as Bangladesh. It will also need to secure Indian shipping lanes and commercial interests in Bay of Bengal. Security of Bhutan will be its responsibility too. Like Northern Command, it needs specialised mountain warfare troops and equipment.
- Southern Command, Thiruvananthapuram
AOR: Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andaman Nicobar, Laksdweep, Goa, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
FORCES: Army, Air Force, Missile Force and Navy
Although not focussed on land warfare, yet this command must have at least 2-3 Amphibious Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs). They don’t need to be expeditionary in the beginning. There is one such formation under AN Command, but needs to be strengthened quite a bit. This one should have the strongest naval component.
- Western Command, Jaipur
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra.
FORCES: Army, Air Force, Missile Force and Navy
Pakistan centric Command with a good balance of strike and holding capabilities. Needs to have some amphibious units as well as mechanised IBGs with heavy armour.
- Central Command (Reserve Command), Bhopal
AOR: Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jhakrkhand and Chattisgarh.
FORCES: Army, Air Force, Missile Force, Special Forces Command incuding Airborne Troops.
Reserve command which can stablise a front and provide resources as required.
SPACE , INFORMATION WARFARE & CYBER COMMAND under Chief of Defence Staff.
NUCLEAR ASSETS under Strategic Force Command
Other points:
- A consolidated Special Forces Command could be under CDS instead of Central Command.
- Logistics will need a centralised command with orgs like Army Service Corps and equivalent IN and IAF merged into theatre specific formations.
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