Integrated Theatre Commands: India Needs to Think Big

The United States was the first country to start working on the concept of jointmanship among all the branches of its military. Though the US Army started working on joint functioning way back in 1905, the concept of the Unified Command Plan (UCP) took off only in 1946, soon after the World War II, in response to friction between different branches of the military. However, the concept remained mostly in theory and the US military remained mostly disjointed.

Glaring examples of ineffectiveness of jointmanship were visible in three prominent military operations that failed miserably. The Mayaguez incident against Cambodian forces in 1975. Operation Eagle Claw to end the Iran hostage crisis in 1980. Last but not the least, Operation Urgent Fury or the invasion of Grenada in 1983. The ineffectiveness of joint operations of the United States military was a jolt to the superpower. Soon the reforms followed. Since then, it has been a continuous phenomenon. What Unified Command Plan we witness today is the result of restructuring in 2011.

Continue to read my article on India’s biggest Think-Tank organization ‘Chanakya Forum’:

Integrated Theatre Commands: India Needs to Think Big