IAF Chief AP Singh on Theatre Commands: No Fixed Split of Fighters
Image: The Week / PTI
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, who retires as Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October, has said the Indian Air Force will not accept theatre commands that tie its fighter jets permanently to one region. “We are not viewing theaterisation as an exercise to permanently divide fighter assets geographically,” he told PTI in an interview published in New Delhi on Sunday, 25 October, arguing for “centralised control where necessary, and decentralised execution where appropriate”.
One Pool of Jets, Moved Where Needed
The point matters because the plan on the table would carve the armed forces into regional commands. “An aircraft is not relevant only to the geographical area from which it operates,” Singh said. He cited Operation Sindoor, saying a joint set-up formed by the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs let commanders allot and shift aircraft centrally, which he called decisive. He said the reform should be phased so that readiness is never compromised, and warned against predicting the next war with “excessive certainty”. The structures, he said, should be “distinctly Indian” rather than copied from foreign militaries.
Seven Years Since the Plan Was Announced
Integrated theatre commands were announced in 2019 as the biggest change to India’s military since Independence. The proposal, as reported by PTI, has a Northern Theatre Command in Lucknow facing China, a Western Theatre Command in Jaipur facing Pakistan, and a Maritime Theatre Command in Thiruvananthapuram. None has been set up. Reports say the services still disagree on command structures, and the IAF has long cautioned against splitting its limited fighter squadrons. Former CDS Gen Anil Chauhan (retd) submitted a detailed proposal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh; it is not known whether the ministry is acting on it.
Also read Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh Gets Extension Till October 2027
New Air Chief Takes Over on 31 October
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on the afternoon of 31 October, The Federal reported, and will carry the IAF’s position into talks led by CDS Gen N S Raja Subramani. None of the reports cites a Defence Ministry timeline for setting up the commands. Singh also attended the IAF’s Wings Over Ganges air show in Varanasi on Sunday; see also the Army’s Land Warfare Doctrine.
Source: Based on reporting by The Tribune (PTI), ThePrint (PTI), The Federal and The Week.
Image: The Week / PTI.
