NEW DELHI: India is set to unveil two warfighting doctrines aimed at integrating military capabilities in the critical fields of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and targeting for faster decision-making during war and hitting the adversary harder, as the armed forces advance their roadmap for theaterisation to achieve battlefield dominance, top officials aware of the matter said on Monday.
The joint doctrines for ISR and targeting, prepared by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), are expected to be issued within two months, the officials said, asking not to be named. This is the latest in a series of steps towards theatre commands—a long-awaited military reform to integrate the armed forces’ resources for future conflicts.
These will likely be the first manuals—aimed at bolstering jointness in the armed forces—to be released under the leadership of India’s next Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, who takes charge on May 30. Jointness is an essential prerequisite for creating theatre commands.
“From satellites, drones, signal intelligence to radars, joint ISR for enhanced situational awareness will involve sensor fusion across land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains. The doctrine will serve as the foundational framework for fusing data from diverse sources into actionable intelligence that will enable commanders to identify threats and make timely decisions,” said one of the officials cited above.
The doctrine will also provide the framework for leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance joint ISR for planning and conducting operations.
The joint doctrine for targeting will form the basis for applying force against targets selected and prioritised by the commanders, said another official. “It will enable commanders to assign targeting tasks to any service best suited to respond in the situation. It could also be a combination of two services, depending on the mission. We are looking at integrating procedures for joint effects to achieve specific results. The doctrine will do away with duplication and enhance effectiveness,” the official added.
Subramani is expected to fast-track the establishment of joint services commands, a key objective of the theaterisation drive. These commands will integrate military elements, assets, and personnel from the three services under a single commander-in-chief. The outgoing CDS, General Anil Chauhan, recently submitted a detailed proposal to advance theaterisation to the defence minister. The model involves raising a China-centric northern theatre command in Lucknow, a Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and a maritime theatre command in Thiruvananthapuram.
The government identified the establishment of theatre commands for the integrated application of force, operational efficiency, and optimal resource utilisation as a key area for focused intervention in 2025.
India has already released joint doctrines for integrated communication architecture, Special Forces (SF) operations, airborne and heliborne operations, and multi-domain operations.
The doctrine for SF operations covers a range of subjects including joint training, future weapon profile, operational imperatives, and issues related to command, control and planning. The manual on airborne and heliborne operations states that their success will hinge on the integration of advanced technologies, joint services cooperation and comprehensive training to facilitate technological absorption and synergy of tactics, techniques and procedures.
The joint doctrine for multi-domain operations charts the way forward for integrated and synergised employment of the armed forces across land, sea, air, space and cyber domains to create a resilient, responsive and agile force structure.
Last year, India notified new rules under an overarching law to boost jointness, command efficiency and operational synergy in the armed forces, weeks after the May 7-10 clash with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, which saw the three services work jointly.
