Theaterisation must reflect India’s security needs: Air Chief Marshal

Theaterisation must reflect India’s security needs: Air Chief Marshal left Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh PTI PTI - **EDS: TO GO WITH STORY; THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image received on Oct. 24, 2026, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. (Handout via PTI Photo)(PTI10_24_2026_000282B) The IAF chief added that future conflicts will be multi-domain by their very nature, and the three services will plan and operate together "far more closely than ever before." New Delhi In his first comprehensive articulation on the theaterisation plan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.

P. Singh said on Sunday (October 25. 2026) that the Indian Air Force is not viewing it as an exercise to permanently divide fighter assets geographically, advocating instead for a structure built around India's specific security requirements rather than replicating foreign models. The limits of air power, implications for theatre-isation The limits of air power, implications for theatre-isation India’s flexible air strategy faces an uncertain test against China The limits of air power, implications for theatre-isation opinion 1 In an exclusive interview to PTI, the Air Chief Marshal said the guiding principle for theaterisation should be "centralised control" where necessary and "decentralised execution" where appropriate, as he cited ongoing conflicts in various geographies to assert that air power can decisively shape military outcomes.

Air Chief Marshal Singh also emphasised that the "transformation of this scale" should be implemented in phases so that operational readiness is "never compromised" and warned against the "trap" of trying to predict the future battlefield with "excessive certainty". Referring to Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal Singh said it was carried out under a joint architecture established by the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs where the centralised allocation and swift reallocation of critical assets proved decisive.

Announced in 2019 as India's most ambitious military reform since Independence, the theaterisation plan seeks to integrate the three services for greater operational synergy. The proposed architecture envisaged three integrated commands — a Northern Theatre Command in Lucknow focused on China, a Western Theatre Command in Jaipur to address challenges from Pakistan, and a Maritime Theatre Command in Thiruvananthapuram.

India’s theatre reform needs a readiness framework India’s theatre reform needs a readiness framework Modernising military structures while maintaining readiness remains the key challenge India’s theatre reform needs a readiness framework opinion 1 However, progress has stalled due to divergent views among the three services over the proposed command structures. The IAF has been cautioning against implementing the plan in a hurry and has strong reservations in splitting its fighter squadrons under the proposed structures.

"Recent conflicts around the world have once again underlined how decisively air power can shape military outcomes. That is precisely why the question of how air power is organised matters so much," the IAF Chief said. "We are not viewing theaterisation as an exercise to permanently divide fighter assets geographically. The IAF is fully committed to jointness and integration," he said, outlining the IAF's vision for the project.

Air Chief Marshal Singh noted that the real question is how to employ air power to its greatest effect within an integrated structure, arguing air power's defining strengths are its speed, reach, flexibility and ability to concentrate combat power rapidly at the point of decision. "An aircraft is not relevant only to the geographical area from which it operates. With aerial refuelling, long-range weapons, networked sensors, and appropriate basing, air power can be massed from considerable distances and shifted between sectors as the threat evolves," he said.

"The guiding principle should, therefore, be centralised control where necessary, and decentralised execution where appropriate. That way, air power can be concentrated where it is needed most, while commanders retain the agility to act swiftly on the ground," he said. Final report on theatre commands under consideration, Centre tells House panel Final report on theatre commands under consideration, Centre tells House panel The theatrisation exercise is aimed at creating a more integrated war-fighting structure by bringing the capabilities of three Services under unified operational command structures Final report on theatre commands under consideration, Centre tells House panel storyline 1 The Chief of Air Staff, then, highlighted how the joint structure during Operation Sindoor produced desired results.

"Our own experience bears this out. During Operation Sindoor, under a joint architecture established by the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs, the centralised allocation and timely reallocation of critical resources proved decisive in the outcome." Air Chief Marshal Singh also called for avoiding the trap of trying to predict the future battlefield with "excessive certainty".

"As we design future structures, we must also avoid the trap of trying to predict the future battlefield with excessive certainty. What we can anticipate is that the next conflict will likely be faster, more autonomous, yet more network-dependent, more transparent, yet more deceptive and more precise in some respects, and characterised by mass in others," he said. "Our structures must be able to absorb that shift.

They should be evaluated against India's specific security requirements, not built by replicating models from other countries, because each nation operates within its own strategic, geographical, technological and operational environment," he noted. "A transformation of this scale should also be implemented in phases, so that operational readiness is never compromised," he said.

The Air Chief marsha…