New theatre command would be unique, says CDS General Anil Chauhan

India’s integrated theatre command plan takes into consideration strategic challenges on land and opportunities in the maritime space, said Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, who submitted his final report on the matter to the government recently. 

In an exclusive interview with Business Standard in New Delhi on Thursday, the CDS also spoke about Operation Sindoor, the India-China border and India’s defence budget. 

“The geography of India would be taken as one entity and we look beyond,” the CDS said when asked about the broad categories of the proposed command structure. 

“There are two adversaries. There will be something. There’ll be something in the maritime domain (too). These are as per our challenges and threats.” 

While the CDS did not mention specific countries or provide details in this context, external-security analysts have long held that India views Pakistan and China as its two major strategic challenges.  When asked if the theatre command is tied to India’s ambitions, looking at power projections by the United States (US) and China, the CDS said that rather than categorising countries as regional or global powers, “we should consider that India has responsibilities both in the continental and the maritime domains”. India sees more opportunities in the maritime domain than threats and challenges at this time, and more threats and challenges on the continental domain, he said. “In the future, there could be opportunity there also if we settled borders.” 

It is unclear whether India would have an Indian Ocean command or an Indo-Pacific command. But India is a longtime member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad grouping, and the country’s immediate strategic interests lie in the Indian Ocean region. 

Lately, India has also dedicated more military resources to the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal. 

The US has 11 commands, based on geography and function, including those away from its shores, and China has five within the country. 

The CDS said that the US concept of theatre command is “absolutely different” because it has assumed global responsibilities, which means its armed forces need to take on an expeditionary role. He said the Chinese model that has divided the country’s geography into five commands is again different. 

The CDS said India’s system would be unique. The existing regional commands in India had evolved from the colonial era when the British wanted to control India, not look at external challenges: “We’ve reversed that.” 

Asked when he expects the Cabinet Committee on Security to approve the proposal, the CDS, who is set to retire on May 30, said it should have come during his time but the report was delayed by some months because of Operation Sindoor. 

He estimated that from the day the government takes a decision, it should take between 18 months and 24 months to operationalise the new structure. 

The CDS said the 17 existing commands (seven each of the army and air force and three of the navy) would be somewhat restructured, not simultaneously dissolved. 

“It can’t all be done together. We’ll do some restructuring but they’ll exist, in the report which I have submitted. Some restructuring of these (will happen) but these are fundamental for warfighting right now.” 

The India-China border, he said, is peaceful at present, with both sides following agreed protocols to maintain peace and tranquillity. 

After the Galwan valley clash in 2020, when Indian and Chinese soldiers were killed by melee weapons, India and China came to an agreement in October 2024. Based on that, both sides have been able to restore their respective patrolling rights. The disengagement in Depsang and Demchok (in eastern Ladakh) is complete, he said, adding that formal military-level de-escalation talks were still pending (diplomatic talks were held). 

“But yes, unilateral de-escalation has taken place,” he said, also referring to the Chinese side. 

He said Indian troops were deployed in their thousands in Ladakh after the 2020 clash. Having spent many winters in the high altitudes, they are now “well-settled” and can maintain the equipment, owing to better infrastructure and connectivity in the region. 

The CDS attributed better situational awareness to India’s military victory in the four-day conflict with Pakistan last year. Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 6-7 as military reprisal against Pakistan after a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, that the Indian government said had links to Pakistan. 

The CDS also said India’s defence budget of almost 2 per cent of the country’s GDP would be fine for the foreseeable future, provided overall economic growth remains at 8 per cent and defence spending grows by 10 per cent annually. He added that money would have to be kept aside for “disruptive technologies”. India’s last defence budget came in at ₹7.85 trillion. 

After the Kargil War in 1999, a review committee was formed that recommended, among other actions, the creation of a CDS position and integrated commands.