DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
New Delhi, May 21
2:29 PM (PIB Delhi) – Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has called for the creation of a Joint Culture among the three services as they move towards forming Joint Operational Structures. Speaking on ‘Jointmanship: The Way Ahead’ at the 22nd Major General Samir Sinha Memorial Lecture organized at the USI of India, New Delhi, the CDS referred to the development of Joint Culture in the Armed Forces as Jointness 2.0, emphasizing it as the way forward.
General Chauhan explained that Jointness 1.0 focused on better camaraderie and consensus among the services. With minimal major differences, there is now an impetus to advance to Jointness 2.0. Acknowledging the unique cultures of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, General Chauhan stressed the need to create a fourth, Joint Culture. He stated, “Joint Culture, while distinct from service-specific cultures, must respect the uniqueness of each service. We must distill the best from each service and incorporate the highest common factor rather than settle for the least common denominator.”
He highlighted various initiatives, including tri-services participation in national events, aimed at fostering Joint Culture.
General Chauhan underscored that Jointness and Integration are prerequisites for creating functional Integrated Theatre Commands, which will differentiate ‘operational’ functions from Raise-Train-Sustain (RTS) and other administrative functions, allowing the operational commander to focus more on security matters.
He emphasized that Theatre Commands are the starting point for future reforms. These commands will pave the way for numerous advancements, such as transitioning from single to multi-domain operations, integrating space and cyberspace with traditional domains, digitizing battlefield information and visualization, and shifting from net-centric to data-centric approaches. General Chauhan highlighted the necessity of reforms in the Indian Defence ecosystem, noting that nation-states worldwide are facing new challenges. The current flux in the world order is prompting nations to review their security strategies. He added that the rapid and unbridled march of technology is transforming how future wars will be fought.
