India’s push toward military theatreisation and deeper tri-service integration received a major boost this week as three top commanders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force jointly reviewed a multi-domain operation onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
The show of combined leadership came during Exercise Trishul, a large-scale tri-service wargame currently underway in the Arabian Sea.
Who were the military leaders on board INS Vikrant?
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army’s Southern Command; Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command; and Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command, boarded Vikrant to witness operational demonstrations that showcased the Navy’s carrier-borne flying capability and complex underway replenishment at sea.
Photos released by the Western Naval Command showed the three commanders on the flight deck, symbolising what the Navy described as a “strong step toward unity and integrated functioning” among the armed forces.
Their joint presence, it said, reinforces efforts to strengthen interoperability and effect-based operations across land, air, sea, cyber, and space domains.
What was Exercise Trishul?
Exercise Trishul, which has included electronic warfare, cyber operations, drone and counter-drone missions, intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as integrated air defence drills, concluded on Thursday (November 13, 2025).
The finale will feature a full-scale amphibious landing off the Saurashtra coast near Porbandar.
What did Exercise Trishul achieve?
The beach-assault exercise, led by the Army’s Southern Command alongside the Navy and Air Force, is aimed at validating India’s ability to execute coordinated land-sea-air operations in contested environments.
According to the defence ministry, Trishul demonstrated the military’s readiness to dominate both physical and virtual battlefields through seamless integration, marking another step toward India’s evolving theatre commands and joint warfighting ethos.