The Indian military has framed a new doctrine keeping in mind the duration of wars, which are likely to be short and intense. The doctrine highlights more roles for the Special Forces, capable of quick movement and swift strikes rather than having large armies.

Going by the duration of recent wars elsewhere, we estimate our future wars, if any, will be for a short period and intense, Indian Army Chief N.C. Vij said.

He said that Indian defense forces were being trained to mobilize troops quickly should there be a war in future.

However, a study by New Delhi-based Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies says that some important features of the doctrine are poorly matched to the concept of limited war, one of the strategic options being considered by India.

The new doctrine says the future warfare would require synergetic application of land, sea and air forces to overwhelm the enemy by using all the defense forces in a coordinated manner.

The new military doctrine envisages training and fine-tuning of our armed forces to gear up for such eventualities, Vij was quoted as saying by the Indo Asian News Service.

The battle plans have been formulated keeping in view even the nuclear threat perceptions in the subcontinent and our assessment of the duration of future wars, Vij pointed out.

Learning a lesson from the ongoing Iraq war, the new doctrine takes into account the possibility of simultaneous attacks by terrorists and calls for reserving troops to provide security cover for communications and uninterrupted fuel and supplies to those engaged in the combat.

Whatever war or wars we may have to fight in Jammu and Kashmir in future, if at all, I hope it is not, then it shall be in the backdrop of terrorism, which goes without saying, Vij said.

In his forward to the doctrine, the chief of army said, Our vision for the 21st century is to have a well-equipped and optimally structured Army, enabling it to respond effectively to varied situations and demands whilst it continually adapts itself to meet future challenges.

The doctrine says that winning hearts and minds of the people should be an essential part of strategy in low-intensity conflict operations.

It says that there can be 15 types of situations: nuclear war, conventional war, global war, total war, regional war, limited war, operations other than war, sub-conventional war, civil/revolutionary war, low-intensity conflict operations/proxy war, insurgency, no-war-no-peace and non-combat operations.

As a consequence, military doctrines, weapon systems and force structures need to undergo a review, he said.

New Delhi has shown complete faith in the new doctrine and has appointed one of its authors, Gen. J.J. Singh, to be the new head of Indian army after Vij retires on Jan. 31.

The IPCS report, however, says that a very quick and coordinated joint operation by all the defense forces may be a hallmark of the U.S.-led campaigns in Iraq but this may not be a case in South Asia, where the risk of escalation of a nuclear exchange is clearly unacceptable.

Indeed, the notion of limited war in South Asia, discussed in India since the Kargil War, aims to circumvent just that nightmare scenario, by implying the possibility of conventional military operations below the nuclear threshold, the IPCS reports aid.

A limited war against Pakistan can only be waged and kept limited if India's intentions are clearly known to be limited and, just as importantly, if Pakistan is willing to accept limited losses. In limited war, therefore, strategic management is at least as important as operational war fighting, and both of these aspects must be organically fused, the report said.

A campaign that seeks to surprise and shock the enemy - which the new doctrine seems to aim for - threatens to dangerously undermine enemy decision-making. Network-centric warfare may allow a more efficient operational conduct of the war, but it leaves the enemy's decision-makers less informed and uncertain of the progress of the war, when information and clarity are most needed.

A doctrine is a planning and training tool, not a strategic policy declaration. India's new army doctrine, however, seems to run counter to the recent thinking on limited war, by emphasizing joint maneuver warfare and network-centric warfare. Disruption of the enemy's decision-making process is normally a military virtue, and in those terms the new doctrine is militarily sound.

But, if a limited conventional war between nuclear rivals is prosecuted in line with this doctrine, it could quickly escalate into catastrophic success, the IPCS report said.

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