The military has submitted a formal proposal to the Ministry of Defence for the creation of theatre commands.Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan has sent the proposal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after years of deliberations with the chiefs of the three armed forces.The plan will require approval from the Ministry of Defence as well as the Cabinet Committee on Security.According to sources, the proposal recommends appointing four-star theatre commanders, placing them on par with the Service chiefs.The concept of geographically defined theatre commands also involves decisions on operationalisation. The three Service chiefs have shared their views on the implementation process, which have been incorporated into the proposal. The final decision on execution rests with the government.Sources say the Defence Minister is expected to have the proposal examined and hold wider consultations on its implementation, including setting a timeline.In military terms, theatre commands refer to geographically defined operational areas under a single commander, who controls all war-fighting assets, including aircraft, helicopters, guns, tanks, equipment and personnel.The proposal envisages three primary theatre commands: a western theatre focused on Pakistan, likely to be headed by an Indian Air Force officer; a northern theatre focused on China, expected to be led by an Army officer; and a maritime theatre, to be headed by a Navy officer.The military has also proposed the creation of a Vice-Chief of Defence Staff and deputy commanders for each theatre, drawn from services other than that of the theatre commander.At the operational level, the CDS is expected to convene a joint commanders’ conference in the first fortnight of May to brief the top leadership of the three forces on the roadmap for enhancing jointness and moving towards integrated operations.A key issue remains the division of IAF assets, with some strategic resources likely to be centrally controlled from Delhi for seamless deployment across theatres.The Tribune had reported on April 9 that the contours of the theatre command structure had been finalised.