'Theaterisation inevitable, just a question of when': Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi

Indian army chief General Upendra Dwivedi

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday said that theaterisation, the integration of the Army, Air Force and Navy, will definitely take place, and the question is only how long it will take to materialise.

“Theaterisation will come, today or tomorrow. We just have to see how long it will take. We have to go through certain steps to bring in theaterisation, which includes jointness and integration. A lot of things need to be discussed for that,” he told reporters after launching a book titled Operation Sindoor: The Untold Story of India’s Deep Strikes Inside Pakistan at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi.

Explaining why theaterisation is “necessary”, Dwivedi said battles are never fought by the Army alone, pointing to the role of the Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, tri-services, defence cyber and space agencies, ISRO, Civil Defence, Civil Aviation, Railways, NCC, and central and state administrations.

“If one has to deal with so many agencies, theaterisation is the answer. Because unity of command is more important. You need one commander to achieve coordination in execution. Theaterisation is absolutely necessary,” he said.

The remarks come nearly two weeks after the Air Force and Navy chiefs shared divergent views on theaterisation at a tri-services seminar in Mhow. While Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said the armed forces should not be pressured to roll out theatre commands, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi also highlighted his stance. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan had later said that any “dissonance” will be addressed in the nation’s best interest.

On the government’s decision to cut GST rates on defence equipment, the Army Chief thanked the Centre, saying it will boost defence corridors, MSMEs and start-ups. He said the force focuses on research and development, training and modernisation, and the reduction from 18 per cent to 5 per cent on heavy equipment will aid modernisation efforts.

On the reduction in GST for UAVs, he said it would give a “major push” as drones and counter-UAVs will play a big role in future wars.

Asked about the LoC situation in the wake of Operation Sindoor, he said the impact must be seen from a long-term perspective. “Has state-sponsored terrorism stopped today? I don’t think so. Why? Because infiltration attempts are still being made at the LoC. How many terrorists have we neutralised and how many have run away — it’s already reported in the media,” he added.

*With agency inputs