Overview
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally unveiled the Land Warfare Doctrine 2026 on Friday during the Army Commanders' Conference and presented it to senior service leaders.
- The doctrine prioritises multi-domain integration and the use of drones, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, contested communications and information/electronic warfare as core operational tools.
- The Army paired the doctrine with concrete training plans, including a five-year roadmap for multi-domain training, a three-level AI skills programme for officers, and a policy to make drone operations a secondary skill across the force.
- Leaders said the revision draws lessons from recent conflicts such as Ukraine–Russia, Iran–US incidents and last year’s Operation Sindoor, noting unmanned systems, persistent surveillance and fast information operations changed battlefield dynamics.
- The document links doctrine to a whole-of-nation self-reliance push, citing record defence production and exports for FY 2025–26, and signals the Army will balance a 20–30 year strategic vision with immediate readiness and capability building.