ABSTRACT
Defence policy in military terms refers to a set of doctrines aimed at safeguarding the national integrity of a nation from all possible external threats and strategic pressures. The change in defence policy to a deterrence posture took place due to the changes in the strategic environment, and the growth in the Indian technological and economic base helped in implementing the same. The changes in the strategic environment occurred in three principal ways. The first, the emergence of China, from being a conventional to a nuclear power. The second was the relegation of Pakistan to the status of a lesser power after the Bangladesh War. The third was that a China-Pakistan collusion in the event of an armed conflict with either of these countries could not be ruled out. The strength of the British Indian Army during peace-time was, thus, always a fraction of what it was often expanded to during its involvement in campaign operations.
