New Delhi: In his first such address to the top military leadership since Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and preside over the upcoming Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC) in Kolkata, which will be held from 15 to 17 September.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said that, apart from reviewing progress on indigenisation, this year’s conference will place particular emphasis on lessons from Operation Sindoor and the theaterisation plan.
Furthermore, deliberations are also likely to touch upon the proposed ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ missile defence system, announced by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day address last month. Envisioned as India’s equivalent of Israel’s Iron Dome or the US-proposed Golden Dome, the Prime Minister expects it to be rolled out by 2035.
In a statement issued Monday, the defence ministry said the conference will focus on “Reforms, Transformation & Change and Operational Preparedness,” adding that discussions would centre on structural reforms, closer coordination among the services and the adoption of new technology.
The conference will also include interactive sessions with officers and personnel across ranks to ensure that field-level perspectives inform high-level discussions, the statement said.
According to sources, Prime Minister Modi is likely to be briefed on the three proposed integrated theatre commands. As first reported by ThePrint in July 2023, the proposed theaterisation plan includes two land-based theatre commands against Pakistan and China and a maritime theatre command covering both eastern and western seaboards.
This discussion will come amidst the backdrop of a clear dissonance emerging among the three services on theaterisation. Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi have both spoken in favour, describing it as “inevitable” for future jointness.
In contrast, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh has argued that a centralised joint command in New Delhi would be more effective than dividing air assets among multiple theatres.
This divergence, first reported by ThePrint in 2021, was formally acknowledged at the tri-services seminar ‘Ran Samvad’, held last month in Mhow, where, welcoming open debate, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan had stressed then that the final call would be in the “best interests of the nation”.
The Army Chief, who was on an official visit to Algeria and could not attend the seminar, expressed his support for theaterisation on 5 September at a book launch.
The Navy has consistently supported theaterisation, given its prospective leadership of the maritime theatre command. However, the IAF has remained sceptical, pointing out that its centrally planned operations allow air assets to be shifted quickly between commands depending on need, and that fragmenting their limited resources across three or more theatres risks tying down critical systems.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Operation Sindoor model will not work in future wars. India must not delay theaterisation