IAF chief lauds Op Sindoor jointness, says don't rush to theatre commands

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh urges a joint planning hub with CDS in Delhi to strengthen tri-service coordination, citing lessons from Operation Sindoor, but warns against rushed theatrisation

Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal A P Singh on Tuesday proposed establishing a joint planning and coordination centre in Delhi, comprising the three service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), to enhance tri-service synergy and oversee joint operations. The CAS also called for a measured approach to the proposed theatrisation initiative and cautioned against introducing new organisational structures that could cause disruption.

 

At a fireside chat on the opening day of the inaugural tri-service seminar on war, warfare, and warfighting — RAN Samwad-2025 — at the Army War College in Madhya Pradesh, Air Chief Marshal Singh described how, during Operation Sindoor, the services moved away from working in silos and instead coordinated closely.

 

He credited CDS General Anil Chauhan for playing a “very big role” in ensuring tri-service coordination during the execution of Operation Sindoor. Singh emphasised that joint planning and coordination were key, with the CDS orchestrating meetings and ensuring all services were aligned in their objectives and actions. He noted that this joint approach prevented gaps and improved operational effectiveness. 

 

“The CDS was orchestrating things with all of us together. Some minor issues that were found during execution are being sorted out. So, I feel that having joint planning and coordination at the apex level is what is required,” he said.

 

“If the directions are from there (joint planning and coordination centre), things will go out. We don’t really need another structure at the moment.”

 

Speaking three-and-a-half months after India carried out Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal Singh reiterated the need for a joint planning and coordination centre in Delhi, which would function under the Chiefs of Staff Committee. With the CDS in the audience, he said that such a centre would allow centralised decision-making with decentralised execution. He suggested starting with this process and evaluating its effectiveness before considering further structures. “If we need any more structures, we can think about it. But disrupting everything now at this time, I do not think is a very good idea,” he added. 

 

On theatrisation, Singh warned against structural changes that lengthen the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop. “We will not take a hasty decision on this. My approach and suggestion have been that let’s take a stepwise approach. Let’s not implement everything together in one go and shake up [things]. Let’s see how it benefits us,” he said.

 

He also underscored that India should not be guided by foreign models, including the United States, in rolling out theatre commands. “Everybody has their own requirements. We need to think about what we need, and only then we should go about it.”

 

Describing even the May 7–10 Operation Sindoor as “yesterday’s war”, Singh emphasised the need to prepare for tomorrow’s wars.

 

Theatre commands were conceptualised to overhaul India’s defence deployment structure by integrating the Army, Air Force, and Navy into one architecture. Each proposed command would look after security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander. While the final contours are not known, the plan could involve two integrated theatre commands to counter Pakistan and China, along with a third maritime theatre command.