CDS General Releases Declassified Doctrines on Cyber and Amphibious Operations

The newly released Joint Doctrine for Cyberspace Operations offers a comprehensive roadmap for how the Indian Armed Forces will conduct operations in the cyber domain.

 

In a significant step toward enhancing India’s joint warfighting capabilities and operational transparency, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, along with the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, formally released the declassified versions of the Joint Doctrine for Cyberspace Operations and the Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations. The unveiling took place during the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) meeting held in New Delhi on August 7, 2025.

This milestone reflects India’s evolving military posture, acknowledging the growing complexities of modern warfare and reaffirming the country’s commitment to strengthening inter-service cooperation, strategic deterrence, and operational readiness in both the physical and virtual domains.

“These doctrines aim to provide a unified vision and actionable framework for India’s armed forces to operate jointly across domains in an increasingly contested strategic environment,” said General Chauhan during the release.

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Joint Doctrine for Cyberspace Operations: Defending India's Digital Sovereignty

The newly released Joint Doctrine for Cyberspace Operations offers a comprehensive roadmap for how the Indian Armed Forces will conduct operations in the cyber domain. It underscores the need for a unified, threat-informed approach to defending national interests in cyberspace, an area increasingly prone to state-sponsored cyber threats, data breaches, and strategic disinformation campaigns.

Key highlights of the doctrine include:

• Integration of offensive and defensive cyber capabilities

• Real-time threat intelligence and cyber situational awareness

• Development of interoperable joint cyber command structures

• Cyber resilience planning to protect critical infrastructure

• Synchronised cyber operations across the Army, Navy, and Air Force

The doctrine advocates the creation of joint cyber task forces, institutional knowledge-sharing, and collaborative training and capacity-building programs to ensure that India's cyber warriors are well-prepared to defend against both nation-state and non-state actors in the digital battlespace.

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Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations: A Tri-Service Maritime Power Strategy

The Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations serves as the principal reference for the planning and execution of integrated amphibious missions, where maritime, air, and land components work in unison to achieve tactical objectives on hostile shores or vulnerable coastal zones.

With India’s extensive coastline and strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, the doctrine is seen as crucial to projecting maritime power, securing sea lines of communication (SLOCs), and executing humanitarian or high-tempo military operations.

The document focuses on:

• Rapid deployment and force projection capabilities from sea to land

• Interoperability among naval fleets, air squadrons, and ground troops

• Joint command and control (C2) mechanisms for seamless coordination

• Use of precision logistics and amphibious assault platforms

• Training regimens for high-readiness amphibious task forces

This doctrine builds upon lessons learned from previous joint exercises such as Exercise AMPHEX, reinforcing India’s preparedness for expeditionary and multi-domain operations in littoral zones.

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Roadmap for Future Doctrine Development

The release of these joint doctrines marks just the beginning of a broader initiative under CDS General Chauhan’s leadership. The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) has commenced work on several new doctrine documents and operational primers, covering emerging and niche warfighting domains, including:

• Military Space Operations

• Special Forces Operations

• Airborne and Heliborne Missions

• Integrated Logistics for joint missions

• Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)

These doctrines aim to offer a common lexicon, standardized processes, and joint operational concepts to guide planning, policy formulation, and strategic decision-making across India’s military and civil defence institutions.

“A doctrinally aligned military ensures unity of effort, reduces ambiguity, and enhances the efficiency and lethality of joint operations,” stated the Department of Military Affairs.

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Accessibility and Public Engagement

In a notable shift towards transparency, the Ministry of Defence has made these declassified doctrines publicly accessible. Defence analysts, academia, strategic thinkers, and allied institutions can now review and study these documents via the official Integrated Defence Staff website:

📄 Access the Joint Doctrines here

This move is expected to encourage academic and strategic discourse, increase awareness of India’s evolving defence posture, and foster informed stakeholder engagement in matters of national security.

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Strategic Significance

With rising global tensions in the cyber domain and increasing competition in maritime zones—especially in the Indo-Pacific—India’s latest doctrinal advances are timely. These joint doctrines are not only aimed at countering adversarial threats but also at strengthening India’s role as a credible regional security provider.

As India transitions toward a fully integrated theatre command system, these joint doctrines serve as foundational tools to ensure that the Army, Navy, and Air Force function as a unified, agile, and technologically enabled force, ready to meet the complex security challenges of the 21st century.