None of this argues against theatre commands; the reform must proceed. China created theatre commands in two years and the U.S. in 10; India has spent 25 years debating the move. Beijing shows otherwise: it took two years to raise five theatre commands . A readiness standard needs three elements: unit-level readiness, force readiness, and sustainability with surge capacity. India needs a similar structure: a Defence Readiness Council at the ministry level, a Military Readiness Committee under the CDS, and sub-committees within each service and theatre command.