Indian military space doctrine expected in 2-3 months: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan

CDS calls for building a 'space culture' rooted in doctrine, strategy, and original thought

India is poised to unveil its first military space doctrine within the next two to three months, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan announced on Monday.

 

Speaking at the third edition of the Indian DefSpace Symposium in New Delhi, Gen Chauhan said, “DSA [Defence Space Agency] is working on bringing out a military space doctrine, which hopefully we should be able to get out in two or three months, and we are also working on a national military space policy.”

 

 The announcement comes at a time when China is expanding its space-based military capabilities, with Chinese satellites reportedly observed rehearsing “dogfighting” manoeuvres in low Earth orbit. 

 

This announcement also follows a key preparatory step, what Gen Chauhan described as the DSA's first-ever space exercise, Antriksh Abhyas, conducted in November 2024. He said the exercise focused on simulating threats to and from space-based assets, identifying vulnerabilities, and exploring the conduct of operations in a denied or disrupted space environment. It brought together the armed forces, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

 

Gen Chauhan also underlined the importance of developing a “space culture”, a mindset rooted not just in technology or capability-building, but in original thinking and the formulation of doctrine.

 

“Space culture is about doing seminal, original research—on, say, the subject of space warfare… it would be about the development of doctrines and strategies about space,” he said, adding that space culture could also encompass space laws, frameworks for space diplomacy, and more, describing it as a field “as vast or infinite as space itself.”

 

Emphasising the need to clearly define what constitutes “military space”, the CDS described it as the Earth’s orbital zones — low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit, and geostationary orbit — which, he said, should be the immediate focus given their relevance to terrestrial warfare.

 

“Military space, I think, is about the Earth’s orbital space around us,” he said, likening it to the maritime domain, where areas such as territorial waters or the exclusive economic zone are considered critical because of their influence on land-based operations. Once that space is clearly defined, he added, doctrines and warfighting concepts must be developed accordingly.

 

The symposium was organised by the Indian Space Association, a non-profit industry body. It brought together senior military officials, space scientists, start-ups, and policymakers to chart the course of India’s space defence ambitions.

 

 

Gen Chauhan’s keynote also outlined a broader intellectual vision, urging India to lead in thought as well as technology.

 

“We are yet to see a Mahan or a Douhet about space. I hope that this particular Mahan or Douhet is from India,” he said.

 

The reference is to Alfred Thayer Mahan, the 19th-century American naval strategist who argued that sea power shaped global history, and Giulio Douhet, the early 20th-century Italian general who pioneered modern air power theory. Gen Chauhan invoked their legacy to call for the development of a uniquely Indian doctrine for space warfare.