What is the Doval Doctrine? Unpacking India's National Security Strategy

Understanding India's Defence Planning Committee

India established its Defence Planning Committee on April 19, 2018, under the leadership of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. This committee comprises key figures including the foreign secretary, defence secretary, chief of defence staff, the heads of the three armed services, and finance ministry secretaries. Its mission encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including overseeing national defence priorities, foreign policy needs, operational directives, and strategic defence reviews. However, it convened only once on May 3, 2018, and has not met since then.

In the absence of a formal national security doctrine, India seems to have relied on what is informally known as the Doval Doctrine. Although not officially published, this doctrine was articulated by Doval during a speech at Sastra University in Thanjavur in February 2014, shortly before he became NSA. He emphasized that terrorism poses a strategic threat to India, primarily due to its international nature, Pakistan's role in promoting it, and India's significant Muslim population.

Doval argued that terrorism, being an idea, cannot be fought directly; rather, the focus should be on combating the terrorists themselves. He identified Pakistan as the primary threat and posed the question of how to effectively address this challenge. He highlighted the issue of Pakistan's capacity for sub-conventional warfare, such as cross-border terrorism, and India's limitations in responding militarily due to nuclear deterrence.

Doval outlined three modes of engagement with an enemy: defensive, defensive-offensive, and offensive. He criticized the previous government's approach, which he described as solely defensive, and advocated for a shift towards a more proactive stance against Pakistan. He suggested that India could exploit Pakistan's vulnerabilities in various areas, including its economy and internal security, without escalating to conventional warfare.

Despite the lack of formal adoption of this doctrine, Doval's influence as NSA over the past decade suggests it has shaped India's security policy. In 2020, India faced new challenges, particularly from China, prompting former General Prakash Menon to note that India's military guidance had been primarily focused on Pakistan. He pointed out that the political objectives for military action were outlined in a document known as the 'Raksha Mantri’s Directive,' which lacked a coherent national security strategy.

As tensions have shifted back to the western front following recent events, it has been five years since the clash with China and seven years since the Defence Planning Committee's formation. There is hope that these developments will prompt the government to establish a national security doctrine that will guide India's response to both conventional threats and acts of terrorism.