Tetra Defence forces meet to strategise & operate in unison against any China provocation

The four major commands of the defence forces had assembled last week to reconcile and chalk out a plan to work as one joint force and face any Chinese provocation from the front of Arunachal Pradesh to the Indian Ocean region.

The four commands include the Kolkata-based Eastern Army Command, Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Navy, Shillong-based Eastern Air Force and the country's only operational tri-services Andaman and Nicobar Command based in Port Blair. These commands are jointly known as Tetra forces.

The coming together of these commands is also a part of the plan to create integrated theatre commands as envisaged by the PM Narendra Modi government around three years ago with the establishment of the Department of Military Affairs and the office of Chief of Defence Staff.

Tetra forces to work in tandem after ironing out differences: PRO Shillong

The PRO Shillong, Ministry of Defence, in a statement said, "The conference provided an opportunity for the Commanders to exchange notes on the peculiarities of operations in their respective domains, identify each others’ strengths & arrive at mutually agreeable solutions to enhance inter-operability & synergy between the Tri services."

The four commands are like the firewalls of the country defending from Arunachal Pradesh in the North East to the Southern tip of the country in the Andaman and Nicobar islands with the Bay of Bengal in the middle, all these areas face the threat of Chinese aggression. A high level of operational preparedness has been maintained in these areas in view of the standoff with China since the last two years after the skirmish in the Galwan Valley.  While the integration is headed by the respective command headquarters, it was initiated by the Eastern Air Command, which has been coordinating with the Army and Navy counterparts to facilitate joint operations. 

Steps taken to enhance security in the north-eastern sector

The Centre has taken a wholesome view of the region by building the necessary infrastructure and road network in the last few years. Moreover, a lot of air and land security infrastructure is also being deployed like the joint establishment of the Rafale fighter jets in Hashimara and the SU-30MKI fighter fleet which will be well supported by the S-400 air defence systems, and is scheduled to be put in place by the Air force in the next few weeks.

The Army's 17 Mountain strike unit has been given an extra division and the force will now be operational as an offensive-only force in the northeast.

The dialogue between China and India is ongoing at the Corps Commander level, however, Indian defence forces don't want to take any chances along the LAC to neutralise any threat by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).           

Image: ANI, PTI