Forging India’s Edge: Evolution of Military Doctrine from Independence to the Co

When the British handed over their portion of the Armed Forces to independent India in 1947, the country inherited just under 280,000 troops, organized under three commands: the Eastern Command at Ranchi, the Southern Command at Pune, and the Western Command at Meerut. By 1948, as India entered its first war with Pakistan, there was no established doctrine guiding military operations. Each action taken was a reaction to Pakistani aggression, making it clear that India needed its own coherent defence doctrine to address future threats.

During the 1962 conflict with China, India still lacked a formal doctrine. What existed was a loosely held, politically restricted narrative- heavily influenced by British-era tactics and ad hoc operational planning, often swayed by the prevailing political