Army commanders’ conference begins in Delhi, Rajnath Singh to release Land Warfare Doctrine

New Delhi: The Indian Army’s twice-yearly commanders’ conference began in New Delhi on Wednesday, bringing together senior commanders to review operational preparedness and future combat requirements. The three-day meeting, chaired by the chief of Army staff, General Dhiraj Seth, will also see the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, release the Land Warfare Doctrine.

The conference will continue until Friday, focusing on the evolving security environment, capability development and the Army’s transformation priorities. According to the defence ministry, commanders will assess ongoing initiatives and identify policy directions to strengthen the force’s readiness for future conflicts.

Why the Land Warfare Doctrine matters

A military doctrine provides common principles for planning, preparing and conducting operations. The proposed Land Warfare Doctrine is expected to establish an overarching framework for the Army to respond to changes in warfare, although its detailed provisions have not yet been made public.

The initiative follows India’s broader efforts to integrate emerging technologies into military planning. In August 2025, Singh released the joint doctrine for multi-domain operations, outlining coordinated employment of the armed forces across land, sea, air, space, cyber and cognitive domains.

At the time, Singh highlighted the growing importance of drones, artificial intelligence, precision weapons and cyber capabilities. He also acknowledged the Army Training Command’s initiative to provide training related to drone technology to all soldiers by 2027.

But these previously announced measures should not be confused with specific provisions of the forthcoming Land Warfare Doctrine.

Joint operations and technological transformation

The chief of defence staff, General NS Raja Subramani, and the chief of naval staff, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, are scheduled to address commanders on contemporary security issues. The secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will also participate, bringing a technological perspective to the discussions.

Singh will also release the annual UN Journal and honour Army personnel recognized for their contributions to UN peacekeeping missions.

General Seth will confer awards for green military stations and aviation flight safety, recognizing environmental sustainability, resource management and aviation safety practices.

The conference is expected to identify priorities for strengthening the Army’s operational capabilities and technological preparedness. The forthcoming doctrine’s actual provisions will determine how these priorities translate into the Army’s approach to future land warfare.