CDS for producing more joint doctrines greater integration among three services

New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) Producing more joint doctrines, enhancing integration among the three services, and commissioning of civilian experts for military training institutes are some of the areas on which the armed forces are working to boost their overall preparedness, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said on Thursday.
    In his address an event here, Gen Chauhan also said that "we have identified about 196 activities which need to be integrated, of which almost about 56 of have been completed".
    Many integration-related activities such as inter-services joint communication, and integration of air defence system had taken place before Operation Sindoor, but "we realised post (Operation) Sindoor that this is just the tip of the iceberg", the CDS said, as he pitched for greater jointness and integration among the three services.
    Gen Chauhan was speaking during a talk session on his book 'Ready, Relevant and Resurgent: A Blueprint for the Transformation of India's Military' that was recently released by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
    The CDS said he is working on a "sequel" to his book that may take a few months to complete.
    As "we navigate the stormy geopolitical arena" of the 21st century, there is a "rising" uncertainty in the nature, and type and timing of future threats, Gen Chauhan says in his book.
    In his address, the CDS underlined that "our speed of writing a doctrine, unfortunately of IDS (headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff)... of writing a joint doctrine, was one doctrine in two years. That was the kind of speed. But, what we are attempting now is... because things are changing fast, I'm attempting about 8-9 doctrines in a year".
    The CDS said that work is being distributed for marshalling resources at various war colleges and training institutes, and leveraging "synergy and understanding" among them.
    "So, we will have doctrines related to multi-domain operations, net-centric warfare, joint ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and targeting, conventional missile force, long-range targeting, joint communications, joint logistics architecture, airborne or heliborne operations, amphibious operations, space, info operations, and man-unmanned teaming," he added.
    Another reform the armed forces are attempting is to develop online training and testing modules akin to the one on the Mission Karmayogi portal of the government.
    "We are going to implement similar kind of models for the three services," he said.
     So, officers and other personnel may probably need this for joint service appointments, and joint service organisation may increase in near future, the CDS said.
    He emphasised the "renewed focus" of the three services on "war, warfare and warfighting" and the need for jointness and integration.
    Jointness creates bonhomie among the three services where people can discuss subjects "without any reservation or apprehensions".
    This will lead to physical activity which is known as "integration", Gen Chauhan said.
    "In this, we have identified about 196 activities which need to be integrated. Almost about 56 of them have been completed," he said.
    He also spoke of the Tri-services Future Warfare Course whose two editions have been conducted by the HQ IDS.
    "In the same breath, we are also trying to create a future operations analysis group, which gives some kind of stability to this thought process. A course is done and then it is forgotten, but how to carry forward the thought process which would be taken care of by some small cells, which will work under Headquarters IDS that is under the CDS," he said.
    "We also have a research cell that is functional," the CDS said.
    He also spoke of the changes that have been brought at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, Tamil Nadu, with tri-services instruction allowing cross-pollination of ideas.
    The CDS also spoke of the e-Granthalaya that allows libraries of different services to be digitally connected as well as physical exchange of books.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)