Anti-terror surgical strikes made part of new army doctrine
NEWDELHI: Seven months after the army’s Special Forces carried out operations against targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, India’s new military doctrine has emphasised that the country could respond to “terror provocations” with “surgical strikes”.
The joint doctrine of the Indian Armed forces, a 62-page document, said the option to conduct such strikes would be covered in the “sub-conventional portion of the spectrum of armed conflict”.
The doctrine is put together by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, a tri-service entity.
India carried out surgical strikes against militant camps in Myanmar in June 2015, followed by targeted operations against terror pads across the Line of Control in Kashmir the following year.
Both strikes had the full backing of the Narendra Modi government and India’s muscular response was announced to the world.
“The possibility of sub-conventional escalating to a conventional level would be dependent on multiple influences… politically-determined conflict aims, operational circumstance, international pressure and military readiness,” the new doctrine states.
The doctrine corroborates the hardened posture adopted by the political and military leadership after the September 2016 surgical strikes.
In January, army chief General Bipin Rawat had said India would carry out more precision strikes on militant bases across the LoC if Islamabad rejects New Delhi’s peace overtures.
Rawat said India had made an offer of “peace and tranquility” to Pakistan but if it did not reciprocate, “this method of execution of operations will continue”.
The doctrine said, “Conflict will be determined or prevented through a process of credible deterrence, coercive diplomacy and conclusively by punitive destruction…”
Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, who is also the chairman, chiefs of staff committee, released the doctrine on Tuesday.