India Unveils New Navy Doctrine to Enhance Joint Military Operations and Counter Emerging Threats
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New Delhi: The Indian Navy has released its updated Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025, a comprehensive guide that aims to strengthen jointness and integration among the country's military services. The doctrine, released by Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, prioritizes jointmanship and interoperability across the armed forces. The updated doctrine formalizes 'no-war, no-peace' as a distinct category between peace and conflict, recognizing its significance in the conflict spectrum. It also acknowledges the growing importance of the space, cyber, and cognitive domains, and emphasizes the integration of uncrewed systems, autonomous platforms, and emerging technologies. The doctrine comes at a critical time as India's military services continue to work towards theaterization, a long-awaited reform that involves placing specific units under a theatre commander. The air force has expressed concerns about being confined to a theatre, but the Navy has emphasized the importance of jointness and integration. The Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025 reflects the major transformations in India's maritime environment and strategic outlook, laying the foundation for the Navy's strategy and operations. It aims to advance India's regional role and maritime influence while fostering a maritime-conscious nation that recognizes the centrality of maritime power to national security. The doctrine also acknowledges the growing maritime security challenges characterized by multi-domain threats, a diverse set of actors, and rapid advancements in technology. It intends to integrate an enhanced understanding of tactics employed by adversaries, including grey-zone, hybrid, and irregular warfare. The release of the doctrine is part of India's ongoing drive for jointness and integration, which was recently boosted by the release of three joint doctrines for Special Forces, airborne and heliborne operations, and multi-domain operations. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has emphasized the need for a change in mindset and dialogue to achieve jointness, and the Navy has taken note of the directives from the Raksha Mantri. The Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025 is the apex guidance document of the Indian Navy and replaces the previous editions published in 2004, 2009, and 2015. It is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the Navy's strategy and operations in the coming years.
