Higher Defence Management Reforms – Some Challenges

Chair: Shri N.N. Vohra, President, IIC

Panelists: Lt. Gen. Deependra S. Hooda (retd.), PVSM, AVSM, VSM & BAR, ADC, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command,  Presently Senior Fellow, Delhi Policy Group; Admiral Arun Prakash (retd.), PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC, former Chief of the Naval Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee; and Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major (retd.), PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC, former Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force and former Member, National Security Advisory Board

Moderator: Lt. Gen. Satish Dua (retd.), PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM, former General Officer of the Indian Army and former Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee

The military is in the midst of a major restructuring exercise with a focus on enhancing jointness and carrying out integration in the three Services. The first step in this direction is the creation of integrated theatre commands that will exercise operational control over assets of the three Services, enable joint planning and warfighting, and lead to resource optimisation. However, there are some apprehensions, particularly in the Air Force, that air resources are limited and the allocation of these within the integrated commands could lead to a weakening of our overall capability.

While much of the debate is focused on integrated commands, reforms in higher defence organizations have a crucial impact on operational decision making within the government, and on the nature of civil military relations. The IIC webinar seeks to look at all the challenges ahead.