On 23rd Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations, Defence minister Rajnath Singh announced on Sunday the setting up of Integrated theatre commands of the tri-services to enhance coordination among the armed forces.
Keeping in view joint operations as seen in Operation Vijay in Kargil, we have decided to set up joint theatre commands (in the country),” , Defence minister Rajnath Singh said during a programme organised by the Jammu Kashmir People’s Forum to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Indian Armed Forces
Singh also said India is moving quickly from being the world’s largest importer of defence equipment to an exporter.
Know about the Integrated Command:
An integrated theatre command envisages a unified command of the three Services, under a single commander, for geographical areas. The integrated theatre commander will not be answerable to individual Services. It will also benefit better coordination amongst the armed forces and improve efficiency of the armed forces. Avoid duplication of work.
As per sources, the Indian armed forces currently have 17 commands. There are 7 commands each of the Army and the Air Force. The Navy has 3 commands. Each command is headed by a 4-star rank military officer.
There is one joint command in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is the first Tri-Service theatre command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India’s strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the islands. It is sometimes referred as ‘Iron curtain’ to China’s access to Indian ocean. China’s President Hu Jintao called it ‘Malacca Dilemma’ for China in 2003.
