Perched at about 11,000 feet, Drass—Ground Zero of the 1999 Kargil War—is touted as the world’s second coldest inhabited place. One would have wondered what a posse of Indian Navy’s marine commandos (MARCOS) would be doing in the mountainous cold desert on this year’s Kargil Vijay Diwas event on July 26. After all, Drass is thousands of kilometres from the nearest coast.
Times are changing. The functional military boundaries of land, sea and air are fading. Brigadiers and colonels are being sent to train with the Navy and the Air Force, while senior Navy and IAF officers are training with the Army. The department of military affairs (DMA), created on the first day of 2020, is working to promote the culture of theaterisation. Cross-postings are the order of the day. The idea is to integrate units of all three services in a single theatre under a common commander to enhance operational efficiency. The Chinese did it in 2016, the US and most major militaries had done it a long time ago. Even the Pakistanis are reported to be on the job.
India, despite some initial setbacks, has kickstarted the process to set up theatre commands, which involves jointness and integration of the disparate war-fighting units. The Inter-Services Organisation (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, a key prerequisite for theatre commands, got parliamentary approval on August 8. It awaits presidential assent now.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
