Army to unveil new land warfare doctrine: What may change and why it matters

A land warfare doctrine is a common framework for how an army understands war and prepares to fight it. It helps commanders connect strategy, force structure, technology, logistics and battlefield operations. The new doctrine matters because warfare now involves more than troops and artillery. Drones, precision strikes, cyber operations, space systems and electronic warfare increasingly shape battles.

India’s 2018 doctrine addressed hybrid warfare, multi-front capability, surveillance, precision strike, information warfare, space warfare and special forces. The new version is expected to explain how conventional operations connect with cyber, space, electronic warfare, unmanned platforms and artificial intelligence. It can also guide responses to different fronts and threats.

In practice, the doctrine should help commanders decide how to combine satellite imagery, drone feeds, electronic intelligence, artillery targeting and air support. It also informs structures such as Integrated Battle Groups, Bhairav battalions, Shaktibaan regiments, Divyastra batteries and Ashni platoons.

The Army is replacing its 2018 doctrine because the battlefield has changed sharply. The earlier document remains important, but new threats and technologies now demand a broader framework. The Army has also gained direct experience from a long stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control and continuing counter-insurgency operations.

Operation Sindoor in May 2025 demonstrated long-range precision fire against targets across the border. India announced strikes on nine terrorist infrastructure sites, while the Army engaged seven using artillery and precision-guided munitions, including loitering munitions. The wars in Ukraine and West Asia have reinforced the importance of drones, missiles, electronic warfare and integrated air defence.

The new doctrine is expected to reflect these lessons. It should address rapid mobilisation, high-altitude logistics, constant surveillance, network resilience, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. It also follows the August 2025 joint framework for multi-domain operations.

The Army command structure discussed at the conference includes six operational commands and one training command. Together, these seven commands represent the Army’s main operational and training responsibilities. Their commanders attend the biannual Army Commanders’ Conference alongside principal staff officers at Army Headquarters.

The operational commands are central to planning and conducting military activity across India’s different fronts. The training command supports the preparation of personnel and forces. Bringing their senior leaders together allows the Army to discuss doctrine, structures, technology and lessons from recent operations in one forum.

This scale matters because the new land warfare doctrine must apply across varied conditions. The northern front demands high-altitude logistics, rapid mobilisation and continuous surveillance. The western front involves conventional formations, drones, missiles and cross-border attacks. A shared doctrine can help align these commands while supporting changes such as Integrated Battle Groups and specialised drone formations.

The new doctrine must bring together traditional military power and newer operating domains. These include land, air, maritime, space, cyber and information capabilities, along with electronic warfare and unmanned platforms. Artificial intelligence is also expected to support surveillance, targeting and decision-making. The goal is coordinated action rather than separate service operations.

A practical example would combine satellite imagery, drone feeds, electronic intelligence, artillery targeting and air support to find and engage an enemy. Electronic warfare could disrupt communications, navigation and command networks before or during an attack. Drones and loitering munitions could then support reconnaissance, target acquisition or strikes.

The Integrated Defence Services issued a Joint Doctrine for Multi-Domain Operations in August 2025. The Army’s challenge is to apply that framework on land. Success will depend on sending the right information to the right commander quickly, using secure networks and trained personnel.

The doctrine could change how Indian forces fight by making operations more integrated, mobile and information-led on both fronts. In the north, the China stand-off along the Line of Actual Control has raised the importance of moving forces quickly, sustaining them at high altitude and watching the area continuously. These priorities affect planning, logistics and force readiness.

On the western front, the Army faces conventional formations alongside drones, missiles and cross-border attacks. Operation Sindoor showed the use of artillery and precision-guided munitions, including loitering munitions, against targets across the border. Future operations may combine drone feeds, satellite imagery, electronic intelligence, artillery and air support.

The doctrine may also reinforce new formations. Integrated Battle Groups are designed for faster mobilisation. Bhairav battalions provide light, mobile reconnaissance and rapid response. Shaktibaan, Divyastra and Ashni formations add precision strike and organic drone capabilities to operations.

Drones and loitering munitions now perform reconnaissance, target acquisition and attacks. Precision strikes can reach headquarters, airfields, ammunition depots and supply points far behind the front line. Artificial intelligence and digital command systems can process and share information faster. Together, these changes make hiding, moving and sustaining forces much harder.

With surveillance overhead, troops and vehicles cannot rely on concealment alone. Camouflage, deception, dispersal and mobility become essential. Electronic warfare may also disrupt communications and navigation, while missiles threaten logistics hubs and command posts. Forces must protect supplies and keep operating when networks are jammed or damaged.

The result is a tighter link between surveillance, decisions, movement and logistics. Reliable data can help commanders act quickly, but AI systems need secure networks, useful information and trained people. The new doctrine is expected to turn these battlefield lessons into methods for both northern and western operations.

Modern operations depend on information moving quickly and safely. Commanders need accurate data from satellites, drones, electronic intelligence and other sensors. Secure communications then carry decisions to units and connect surveillance, targeting, artillery and air support. Without that chain, advanced weapons and artificial intelligence cannot deliver their full value.

The article highlights a clear danger: electronic warfare can knock out communications, navigation and command networks. Ballistic and cruise missiles can also damage headquarters, airfields and supply points. If networks are jammed or destroyed, forces may lose coordination, navigation and access to current battlefield information. Resilient systems must continue working through disruption.

Artificial intelligence and digital command systems can speed information processing and sharing, but they require reliable data, secure networks and trained personnel. The multi-domain challenge is therefore not simply buying technology. It is ensuring the right information reaches the right commander quickly, even when an adversary attacks the information system first.