Rajnath Singh Releases Land Warfare Doctrine at Army Conference

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh released the Land Warfare Doctrine while addressing the Army Commanders' Conference in New Delhi on 23 October 2026. The doctrine sets out an overarching framework to ready the Indian Army for the changing character of warfare and for future conflicts.

What the Raksha Mantri told the Commanders

He asked the Army's senior leadership to watch geopolitical and regional developments closely and to work with a strategic vision covering the next 20 to 30 years, while staying ready for immediate and emerging challenges. Strategies, he said, must stay dynamic and flexible so that they can be adjusted in time as circumstances change. He praised the restructuring under way, singled out the use of drones and modern technology, and asked for faster work on artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics, cyber security and secure communication networks.

Operation Sindoor and multi-domain warfare

The Raksha Mantri said fresh thinking, better synergy and superior coordination, backed by advanced weaponry, had carried Operation Sindoor to success, and that the operation showed India would not hold back from the steps needed to protect its national interests. Challenges are growing in the air, maritime, space and cyber domains, he said, yet land warfare and ground forces will remain indispensable, so modern conflict calls for an integrated approach in which success rests on multi-domain capability and seamless coordination in joint operations.

Production and export figures cited

Referring to the 'Year of Reforms - 2025', he called reform a continuous process whose success rests on implementation, and asked the Commanders to carry it through their own commands so that it shows up in operational capability. He also pressed for self-reliance, better manpower management, greater participation of women and an integrated view of national security.

Also at the conference

The Raksha Mantri unveiled the annual United Nations Journal and felicitated Indian Army personnel who have served as United Nations peacekeepers. Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth and Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh were present. The conference is the forum at which the Army's senior leadership reviews initiatives, picks future thrust areas and frames policy direction.