Indian Army New War Doctrine Analyzed

South Asia Analysis Group ^ | 1/15/2010 | Dr. Subhash Kapila

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The Indian Army’s enunciation of a New War doctrine was long overdue in the light of India's embattled security environment. The last Indian war doctrine ‘The COLD START War Doctrine" which was a Pakistan-specific war doctrine was formulated nearly five years back. India’s two major adversaries, namely Pakistan and China, have in the last five years lapsed into stronger adversarial postures. A strategic review of India’s military postures and plans was certainly called for at this juncture.

Pakistan today stands externally and internally besieged with distinct possibilities of disintegration and Talibanization and its nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Taliban and Al Qaeda. A Pakistan Army so besieged could be tempted to military adventurism against India to divert Pakistani public’s domestic discontent.

China on the Northern peripheries of India has indulged in military suppression of discontent in Tibet and Xingjian. In relation to Tibet, China has many India-centric fears, hence the growing adversarial stances on India’s borders with Tibet. On a larger plane, China along with its military proxy i.e. Pakistan is intent on keeping India confined within South Asia confines. Hence, the growing adversarial stances of China towards India. In case of both Pakistan and China, the growing strategic cooperation and military-to-military contacts of India with the United States has generated further strategic disquiet.

Contextually therefore, the Indian Army is well within its rights to formulate plans, doctrines and weapon and equipment acquisition plans to meet the enhanced threat profiles from Pakistan and China.

[I Buried My Guns]

If I worked as professor at an Indian War School my first published work would be entitled "In Defense of the Human Wave Attack", as they have no shortage of bodies. It may even be their greatest strength against Pakistan. Against China, not so much, as their document is entitled "In Defense of 50 Human Wave Attacks a day for five years straight".

I must concede that China knows the value of an unedcuated conscript. Heck, in the Korean War they used the bodies of their dead in the preparation of defenses and as wind breaks in the winter.