India’s military planning continues to prioritize twin conventional threats posed by China and Pakistan, with the country preparing for the possibility of large-scale regional conflict. According to a new report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), long-standing territorial disputes with both nuclear-armed neighbours are driving continued investment in conventional combat readiness and doctrinal evolution.
The report, published ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore and released on May 28, stated that India is preparing its Army for “large-scale conventional-combat operations” amid ongoing tensions along both the Line of Control with Pakistan and the Line of Actual Control with China.
According to the London-based think tank, India currently faces what it described as a hybrid “no war but also no peace” security scenario with both China and Pakistan. The report noted that while India’s border disputes with China are more traditional and less likely to escalate into full-scale war compared to Indo-Pakistani crises, both frontiers are expected to remain heavily militarised for the foreseeable future.
“For India, the pacing challenge is a hybrid situation of no war but also no peace with China and Pakistan,” the report observed. It added that India’s military doctrine has continued to evolve through operational experiences gathered from repeated confrontations with both neighbours.
The report points specifically to India’s cross-border operations against Pakistan in 2016, 2019 and 2025 as examples of how operational practice is influencing broader doctrinal thinking. According to the assessment, New Delhi’s willingness to redefine what constitutes an acceptable military response to cross-border terrorism has become a significant feature of India’s strategic posture.
“The evolution of the surgical strikes against Pakistan suggests how operational practices could help shape doctrinal development,” the report said. India’s military thinking, it added, has been heavily influenced by decades of conflict experience, especially in relation to Pakistan.
The report also noted that assumptions underlying military doctrine — whether defensive or offensive in nature — serve as indicators of how future warfare could unfold and how confident political leadership may be in military preparedness.
Despite increasing strategic competition in the wider Indo-Pacific, the report suggested India is unlikely to play an active military role outside its immediate region of interest. The IISS assessment said New Delhi would probably avoid being drawn directly into a potential US-China military confrontation over Taiwan.
“Beyond the Indian Ocean Region, India is unlikely to play an active military role in the wider Asia-Pacific,” the report stated.
However, the dossier noted that geopolitical competition in the Indian Ocean region continues to intensify, particularly around strategic chokepoints such as the Malacca Strait.
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