Context
The Ministry of Defense has just authorized three additional Joint Doctrines in this area during the ‘Ran Samvad’ 2025 symposium held at the Army War College in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
Key Highlights
- The Indian Armed Forces are making steady progress toward increased jointness, integration, and theaterization.
- Joint Doctrine for Special Forces Operations: Unifies the Army’s Para (SF), the Navy’s MARCOS, and the IAF’s Garuds under a single framework.
- Seeks shared terminology, common understanding, and uniform procedures.
- Joint training to lessen duplication, future weapon profiles for interoperability, and integrated command and control architecture spanning ground, marine, and air are the main areas of focus.
- Joint Doctrine for Airborne and Heliborne Operations: Focuses on perfect coordination in heli-lift and para-drop operations.
- Normalizes the processes of planning and carrying out missions for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
- Integration of latest air mobility resources (heavy-lift helicopters, transport planes), unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for real-time intelligence.
- The Joint Doctrine for Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) emphasizes integration across land, sea, air, space, and cyber to combat adversaries who operate below the thresholds of conflict; it also calls for latest technology, advanced technologies, novel constructions, and completely networked joint operations.
Command Integrated Theatre
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- In this unified command, all of the services’ resources are combined under the direction of a single commander who is focused on a specific geographic area.
- The head of a combined command will have the authority to train and equip his or her command in accordance with the objective and will have logistical support. at his beck and call, every service.
- The three services will also keep their individual identities.
- A committee led by Lieutenant General D. B. Shekatkar had proposed three commands:
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- Northern Command will handle any threats posed by China.
- Western Command to respond to threats from Pakistan.
- The Southern Command will protect maritime interests.
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- Existing Framework:
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- Seventeen distinct commands: Army (7), Air Force (7), and Navy (3).
- Although under overall CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) coordination, each Service functions separately.
- The two Unified Commands responsible for nuclear assets are the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC).
Concerning the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS)
- Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
- Primary military counsel to the Minister of Defense on issues involving all three services.
- Plays a key role in:
- Theatricalization and driving jointness.
- Combining the acquisition and development of capacity.
- Maintaining coordination between the Air Force, Navy, Army, and civilian authorities.
Source: The HT
Prelims PYQ
Q. In the context of Indian defence, consider the following statements: (2009)
- The Shourya missile flies with a speed of more than 8 Mach.
- The range of Shourya missile is more than 1600 km.
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
Ans: (d)
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