India to restructure military commands, six years after China

India is moving to reorganize its armed forces into integrated commands. The change would place army, navy, and air force units under single commanders in key regions. China completed a similar reform in 2016. That effort created five theater commands, each controlling forces from all services. Analysts say the change improved China's ability to plan and fight joint operations. India's current system keeps the three services largely separate. Each has its own chain of command. Critics say this slows decision-making and coordination. The proposed reform, known as theaterisation, has been discussed for years. Progress has been slow, in part because the services disagree over how much control they would give up. Supporters say integrated commands would help India respond faster to threats along its borders with China and Pakistan.