Military

month, three senior officials involved in the exercise said on condition of anonymity. The unclassified part of the report will be made public after the Narendra Modi government or the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) accepts the fundamental document defining the Indian military posture.

The DPC was formed in April 2018, but the report was held up pending the announcement of a new post of chief of defence staff (CDS), the single point military adviser to the government. The announcement of the creation of the post was made e by PM Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day last month. The first Indian CDS is expected to be current Army chief General Bipin Rawat with a tenure of two more years.

While the defence ministry is tight-lipped about the report, the draft NSS is expected to define India’s position on no first use (of nuclear weapons) in the current context as well as other red lines that could lead to strategic escalation.

The report is also expected to define the military threat to India in terms of the possible number of fronts. For instance, the Indian military today is readying itself to face threats simultaneously on two fronts, north and the west, in a worst-case scenario. It is this definition that will be used by the defence ministry to decide the quantity of ammunition to be kept in ready stock. As of now, India is prepared with ammunition inventory for a 10-day intensive war.

The NSS document will also