The Defence Minister has empowered the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to issue Joint Instructions and Joint Orders for all three services (Army, Navy, and Air Force). 

• Previously, orders involving two or more services were issued separately by each service.
• This initiative aligns with ongoing efforts to modernize the Indian military, emphasizing inter-service collaboration and integration.

Key Highlights

• Introduction of Joint Orders: This  will reduce redundancy, streamline operations, and enhance cross-service cooperation.
• First Joint Order: The first joint order, released on June 24, 2025, focuses on the approval, promulgation, and numbering of joint instructions and orders.
• Efficiency and Coordination: It is expected to result in more cohesive operations and better resource utilization across all domains.
• Strategic Impact: The move lays the foundation for the integration of operational and administrative functions, ensuring that all services work in harmony to enhance overall combat effectiveness. 
  • It paves the way for the creation of more integrated theatre commands and joint logistical structures.

Jointness and Integration

• Jointness in the military means seamless cooperation among the Army, Navy, and Air Force to maximize collective strength. 
• Integration builds on this by reorganizing command, procurement, and operations to ensure each service contributes optimally toward common goals.

Key Aspects of Jointness

• Synergized Resource Utilization: Jointness helps use resources like infrastructure, equipment, and personnel more efficiently, reducing duplication and increasing impact. 
  • This results in a more cost-effective, capable military.
• Respecting Uniqueness: Each service retains its strengths, expertise, and needs. 
  • This balance ensures that the Army, Navy, and Air Force maintain their unique capabilities.
• Optimal Results: Jointness enhances operational outcomes. 
  • It improves coordination, intelligence sharing, and combat response, leading to greater efficiency and effectiveness.
• Avoiding Duplication: It identifies and eliminates redundant functions, cutting inefficiencies and unnecessary costs. 
  • This helps allocate resources more strategically to critical areas.

Need for Jointness and Integration

• Complex Security Environment: Today’s threats span land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace. 
  • A unified response from all services is crucial, such as seen in Operation Sindoor.
• Efficient Resource Utilization: Integration optimizes resources, cuts duplication, and ensures coordinated objectives. 
  • This improves operational readiness while managing costs.
• Enhanced Operational Effectiveness: Jointness boosts coordination in all domains of warfare, from land-air-sea operations to defending against cyber threats.
• Improved Response to Emerging Threats: Integration allows quicker decision-making and flexible responses. 
  • The fast pace of technological and geopolitical changes demands this unified approach.

Challenges to Jointness and Integration

• Cultural Differences: Each service has its unique culture, values, and operational methods. 
  • These differences can lead to resistance against integration and joint operations.
• Organizational Structure: Existing service-specific command structures complicate integration. 
  • Aligning these structures across all services requires significant reforms and coordination.
• Resource Allocation: Equitably dividing resources among the services can be challenging, especially when each service has distinct requirements and priorities.
• Inter-Service Rivalry: Competition for resources, leadership roles, and recognition can create friction, undermining trust and cooperation essential for effective integration.
• Lack of Standardization: Variations in equipment, training, and procedures across services hinder interoperability, delaying joint operations and affecting efficiency.
• Technological Integration: Integrating diverse technological systems and platforms across services remains complex, with challenges in ensuring seamless communication and data-sharing.
• Logistical and Bureaucratic Coordination: Coordinating logistics across different services and overcoming political or bureaucratic resistance can slow down the implementation of jointness reforms.

Government Initiatives for Jointness and Integration

• Creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): The CDS, created in 2019, promotes jointness by overseeing the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Territorial Army. 
  • The CDS ensures coordination and leads reforms for integration.
• Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs): Efforts are underway to create ITCs that will unite the Army, Navy, and Air Force under a single command structure. 
  • These will improve operational efficiency and ensure seamless service cooperation.
• Department of Military Affairs (DMA): Established in 2020, the DMA promotes jointness by restructuring military commands, integrating operational needs, and coordinating procurement efforts.
• Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control & Discipline) Act, 2023: This Act allows commanders of tri-service formations to command personnel from all three services. 
  • It enhances operational cohesion and supports a unified command structure.
• Joint Logistics Nodes (JLNs): JLNs in Mumbai, Guwahati, and Port Blair streamline logistics operations, improving resource allocation and operational readiness. 
  • They reduce costs and improve supply chains.
• Joint Training Programs and Exercises: Programs like the Tri-services Future Warfare Course and joint exercises such as Exercise Prachand Prahar 2025 enhance interoperability. 
  • These programs improve coordination during joint operations.
• Technology Integration & Network-Centric Warfare: Advanced systems like the Defence Communication Network (DCN) and Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) enable real-time communication. 
  • These systems enhance coordination across all domains.

Conclusion

The shift toward jointness and integration is transforming India’s Armed Forces. By eliminating redundancies, fostering synergy, and leveraging the strengths of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, India is building a more capable and agile military. Government reforms and initiatives are setting the stage for a future-ready force focused on coordination, efficiency, and operational excellence.

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