Abstract
How can the Indian Army retool itself for future strategic challenges? Over the past 25 years, it was unable to adequately meet India’s most pressing security threats, because it focused only on cosmetic organizational changes rather than conceptual changes. Now, as the country faces new types of security threats, the Army has an opportunity to develop new operational concepts. However, new concepts will only be effective if they are rooted in a systematic appreciation of India’s specific strategic needs, and the changing character of war. This paper offers a framework for such an appreciation, and outlines three illustrative examples of concepts the Indian Army may wish to consider, based on India’s emerging threats and the Army’s evolving missions.
Keywords: Doctrine, Strategy, Modernisation, Reform
