India’s Stalled Theatre Commands: Politics, Turf Wars & Reform

In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack the debate over theaterisation -- the buzzword that has divided India's armed forces for years.

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh's recent comments about India not needing theaterisation right now have once again opened a debate that was meant to have been settled with the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff.

On this episode, Dev and Sandeep go from the origins of theatre commands in World War II, to India's 17 separate service commands, to the Air Force's worries -- and the famous committees (Kargil Review, GoM, Naresh Chandra, Shekatkar) that studied this reform to death.

The two explore:

- What is theaterisation and why does it matter?

- Why is the Indian Air Force pushing back?

- Did General Bipin Rawat's death stall the project?

- What role do decades of committees and bureaucratic delays play?

- And most importantly, does India actually need theatre commands for future wars?

Produced by Taniya Dutta

Sound Mix by Rohan Bharti