In tune with India’s focus on joint warfare, Army Chief gives Navy Commanders insight on situation along borders

Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Tuesday gave a brief insight into the security situation along the borders to the senior leadership of the Indian Navy during the second day of the ongoing Naval Commanders Conference in New Delhi.

During his interaction, General Pande also spotlighted the current operational environment, army’s initiatives towards transformation, joint pursuits with the Indian Navy and other contemporary military matters.

The second edition of biannual apex event began on Monday to review major operational, materiel, logistics, HR, training, and administrative activities undertaken by the Indian Navy during the previous six months.

“The conference and the embedded interactions with the National Security Advisor (NSA), Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force would also be utilised to analyse the operational environment, deliberate on the issue of tri-service synergy and assess the readiness of the maritime forces,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Currently, India’s only Quad-Service, Integrated Theatre Command is in Andaman and Nicobar which also serves as a template for theaterisation of the Armed Forces now being planned at the national level.

Last month, the Inter-Services Organisation (Command, Control & Discipline) Bill 2023, that paves way for creating theatre commands to deliver a joint tri-service punch to destroy designated targets, was cleared by both Houses of Parliament.

The bill seeks to empower Commander-in-Chief and Officer-in Command of Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs) with all disciplinary and administrative powers in respect of the personnel serving in or attached to such organisations.

Currently, the Armed Forces personnel are governed in accordance with the provisions contained in their specific Service Acts – Army Act 1950, Navy Act 1957 and Air Force Act 1950.

The enactment of the Bill will have various tangible benefits such as maintenance of effective discipline in inter-services establishments by the Heads of ISOs, no requirement of reverting personnel under disciplinary proceedings to their parent Service units, expeditious disposal of cases of misdemeanour or indiscipline and saving of public money and time by avoiding multiple proceedings.

Introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Defence Ministry Rajnath Singh termed it as part of a series of military reforms being undertaken by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the aim to empower the nation. He described the bill as an important step taken towards integration and jointness among the Armed Forces to face the future challenges in an integrated manner.

It would pave the way for much greater integration and jointness amongst the three Services; lay a strong foundation for creation of joint structures in times to come and further improve the functioning of the Armed Forces.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com, during the ongoing conference, the top Navy Commanders of the country are also reviewing the ongoing and planned indigenous projects of the Indian Navy utilising niche technologies, including the field of Artificial Intelligence.

The tech demo on display includes projects in tactical communications, combat management systems, cyber security, underwater domain awareness and combat platform integration.

In addition, the newly-designed uniform items being introduced in Service for enhanced comfort, hygiene and functionality, viz. high absorption T-shirts, camouflage cap and jacket, high ankle shoes, and National Civil Dress for messes/functions were displayed on the sidelines of the conference.

The first edition of the apex event was conducted onboard INS Vikrant in March 2023.

Also Read: Parliament okays Bill to create theatre commands of Army, Air Force & Navy personnel