Singh said on Sunday (October 25. 2026) that the Indian Air Force is not viewing it as an exercise to permanently divide fighter assets geographically, advocating instead for a structure built around India’s specific security requirements rather than replicating foreign models. In his first comprehensive articulation on the theaterisation plan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. P.
“Recent conflicts around the world have once again underlined how decisively air power can shape military outcomes. “We are not viewing theaterisation as an exercise to permanently divide fighter assets geographically. “An aircraft is not relevant only to the geographical area from which it operates.
Announced in 2019 as India’s most ambitious military reform since Independence, the theaterisation plan seeks to integrate the three services for greater operational synergy. “The guiding principle should, therefore, be centralised control where necessary, and decentralised execution where appropriate.
In an exclusive interview to PTI , the Air Chief Marshal said the guiding principle for theaterisation should be “centralised control” where necessary and “decentralised execution” where appropriate, as he cited ongoing conflicts in various geographies to assert that air power can decisively shape military outcomes. Referring to Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal Singh said it was carried out under a joint architecture established by the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs where the centralised allocation and swift reallocation of critical assets proved decisive. That is precisely why the question of how air power is organised matters so much,” the IAF Chief said. The IAF is fully committed to jointness and integration,” he said, outlining the IAF’s vision for the project. With aerial refuelling, long-range weapons, networked sensors, and appropriate basing, air power can be massed from considerable distances and shifted between sectors as the threat evolves,” he said. That way, air power can be concentrated where it is needed most, while commanders retain the agility to act swiftly on the ground,” he said.
