New Delhi:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has authorised Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan to issue orders to the three services to ensure greater synergy.
This marks a shift from the earlier system under which instructions and orders pertaining to two or more services were issued by each service separately.
The move comes amid the government’s efforts to roll out the theaterisation model for greater synergy and jointness among the Army, Navy and the Air Force.
In a statement, the defence ministry said the first joint order on “approval, promulgation and numbering” of joint instructions and joint orders” was released on Tuesday.
The order emphasised the need to streamline procedures, eliminate redundancies and enhance cross-service cooperation.
The defence ministry described conferment of powers to the chief of defence staff as a major step towards modernisation and transformation of the armed forces.
“In a major step towards modernisation and transformation of the armed forces, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has authorised the chief of defence staff and secretary, department of military affairs to issue joint instructions and joint orders for all three services, ” the ministry said.
“This marks a shift from the earlier system wherein instructions/orders pertaining to two or more services were issued by each service separately,” it said.
The ministry said the initiative lays the foundation for improved transparency, coordination and administrative efficiency in the three services.
“It also marks the beginning of a new era of jointness and integration, reinforcing the Armed Forces’ unity of purpose in serving the nation,” it said.
The move is seen in sync with the ministry’s push to implement the theaterisation plan.
Under the theaterisation model, the government seeks to integrate the capabilities of the army, air force and navy and optimally utilise their resources for wars and operations.
According to the theaterisation plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory.
At present, the Army, Navy and the Air Force have separate commands.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
