The theatre command system is intended to bring better synergy between the three branches of the armed forces. Instead of separate commands for the army, navy, air force, a unified command will be set up to be led by a single commander.
The military assets that are usually split under separate centres of command will be fused into one single command under one operational head. This operational head will be responsible for directing and controlling their activities in a given situation.
A theatre command system will also contribute to more streamlined costs and a leaner fighting force. The theatre command system will help remove redundancies and bring greater focus in the allocation of resources.
More than 32 countries already have some form of theatre or joint command in place for better integration among the branches of the military. The US was the first to come up with a theatre command system and “presently possesses six geographical and four functional commands”.
Russia is said to have commenced with the restructuring of its armed forces in 2008 and “has now created four theatre commands”. China’s theatre command system is said to be based on the US model and has “five peacetime geographical commands”.
India, too, is taking steps to restructure its army, navy and air force under seamless command centres to meet the challenges of the future.
Balaji Subramanian 
Piyush Anand 
Shobhil Shrivastava