Integrated theatre command

Why in news?

• Army Chief has said that the next logical step in defence reforms would be the creation of the integrated theatre command.

About integrated commands:

• Integrated theatre command is one that enables the pooling of resources of all three services under a single commander, towards securing a particular geographical area.
• A military commander in charge of a joint command will have the resources of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force at his/her disposal in the face of a national security threat.
• The commander can also carry out joint training while benefitting from the logistics of all three services.
• Currently, India only has two tri-service commands.
  • The first of these, known as the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), was created in 2001 and is led by service chiefs on a rotational basis.
  • The second is a functional command (not overseeing a particular geographical location) called the Strategic Forces Command established in 2006.
• The current structure of the armed forces includes 17 different commands, seven each belonging to the Army and the Air Force, and three headed by the Navy.
• However, defence analysts have called for the elimination of this separation through the establishment of integrated theatre commands that enable all three services to prosecute operations collectively.
• The concept of an integrated theatre command was pioneered by the United States military which now has 11 unified commands with the geographic ones being Africa, Central, European, Indo-Pacific, Northern, Southern and Space. Its functional commands include Cyber, Special Operations, Transportation and Strategic.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Andaman and Nicobar Command:
1.It is currently India’s only geographical tri services command.
2.It is always headed by a general from the Indian army.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2 
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question