Syllabus: GS3/ Defence and Internal Security
Context
- The Indian Armed Forces are moving steadily towards greater jointness, integration, and theaterisation.
- In this direction, the Ministry of Defence has recently cleared three new Joint Doctrines, at the ‘Ran Samvad’ 2025 seminar at the Army War College in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
Joint Military Doctrines released
- Joint Doctrine for Special Forces Operations: Brings together Army’s Para (SF), Navy’s MARCOS, and IAF’s Garuds under a unified framework.
- Seeks common understanding, shared terminology, and standard operating procedures.
- Focus areas are joint training to reduce duplication, future weapon profiles for interoperability & unified Command & Control structures across land, maritime, and air.
- Joint Doctrine for Airborne and Heliborne Operations: Aims for seamless coordination in para-drop and heli-lift missions.
- Standardises planning and execution procedures across Army, Navy, and Air Force.
- Emphasis on integrating advanced air mobility assets (heavy-lift helicopters, transport aircraft), unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for real-time intelligence.
- Joint Doctrine for Multi-Domain Operations (MDO): Stresses integration across land, sea, air, space, and cyber to counter adversaries operating below conflict thresholds; calls for advanced technologies, innovative structures, and fully networked joint operations.
| Integrated Theatre Command – It is a unified command in which the resources of all the services are unified under a single commander looking at a geographical theatre. – The commander of a joint command will have the freedom to train and equip his/her command as per the objective and will have logistics of all the services at his beckoning. 1. The three services will retain their independent identities as well. – A committee headed by Lieutenant General D B Shekatkar had recommended three commands: 1. Northern Command to address threats from China. 2. Western Command to counter challenges from Pakistan. 3. Southern Command to safeguard maritime interests. – Current Structure: 1. 17 separate commands: Army (7), Air Force (7), Navy (3). 2. Each Service operates independently, though under broad CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) coordination. 3. Also there are two Unified Commands: Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) and Strategic Forces Command (SFC) responsible for nuclear assets. About the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) – Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). – Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on tri-service matters. – Key role in: 1. Driving jointness and theaterisation. 2. Integrating capability development and procurement. 3. Coordinating between Army, Navy, Air Force, and civilian leadership. |
Source: TH
Previous article
UNGA Launches Two New Initiatives to Strengthen Global Cooperation on AI Governance
Next article
News In Short 28-August-2025
