ABSTRACT
It is only fair at the outset to begin with a definition of ‘doctrine’ since the term abuts strategy, policy and concept, and consequently, is liable to be misinterpreted (JWP 2001: 1-5). In its landmark publication, Indian Army Doctrine (ARTRAC 2004) (hereafter, Doctrine), the army borrows the British Army definition without acknowledgement (CGS 1996: 1), in defining doctrine as ‘a formal expression of military knowledge and thought that an army accepts as being relevant at a given time, which covers the nature of current and future conflicts, the preparation of the army for such conflicts and the methods of engaging in them to achieve success’. The Doctrine elaborates that doctrine is ‘a framework for a better understanding of the approach to warfare. . .(and) a set of principles by which military forces guide their actions in support of national objectives’ (ARTRAC 2004: 3).
