Integration In Action: Army Officers Join IAF And Navy Missile Units, Fostering Collaboration And Joint Operations

Army officers have been sent to Indian Air Force (IAF) and Navy units that use the same weapons. This is another step toward integrating the three military forces at the top level.

Last week, orders were given for BrahMos missile units in the IAF and Navy (on boats) to add Army officers. Officers with the rank of Major and Captain in the Regiment of Artillery, which runs BrahMos, were given the orders. An official said, “This is one of the first steps toward making joint fighting forces.” All three services use BrahMos, which is the best missile in the country and can move at hypersonic speed for more than 400 km.

The Air Force has BrahMos teams that are based on the ground, and Sukhoi 30-MKI fighter jets have also been changed so that they can carry the missile.

Sources said that cross-posting could happen on other platforms that are used by more than one group, like the “Akash” air defense system and, at some point, on UAVs and planes. Advanced light helicopters (ALH) and Chinook helicopters are both used by all three services. The IAF already has Chinook helicopters, and the Army Aviation has already ordered these.

The former Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, had made a plan for integrating the war-fighting units of the forces at the Major and Captain levels and then moving it up.

Defense Space Agency and Defence Cyber Agency are two new divisions that were made recently. They are tri-service organizations, which means that officers from all three services work for them.

Garuda commandos of the IAF work with Army units in special missions. Navy marine troops called Marcos work in the Kashmir valley. On May 22, they were one of the groups in charge of security at the G20 meeting in Srinagar.

At the moment, the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the Strategic Forces Command, and the Department of Military Affairs are all part of the tri-service organizations. These organizations are led by the Chief of Defence Staff. In March, the Ministry of Defense put a Bill before Parliament that would give the Commander in charge of tri-service organizations the right to punish people. This means that once the Bill passes, the leader of the tri-service organization will be in charge of keeping order among all the people who work there.

Officers and other members of staff who are currently assigned to tri-service organizations face disciplinary actions, if any, according to the service Acts that rule the IAF, the Army, and the Navy. The severity of these actions can vary. Also, the tri-service leader has nothing to do with how any of his subordinates are treated by the law. The Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control, and Discipline) Bill, 2023, is a change that has been wanted for a long time, especially since the CDS was named.

Majors, Captains in initial phase

• Officers with the rank of Major and Captain were cross-posted in units that used BrahMos.
• Soon, cross-posting could be done with other platforms that are used by more than one unit, such as air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and helicopters.
• Tri-services also have machines like Chinook and Advanced Light helicopters that are used by all three forces.