Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a historic speech on May 12, 2025, in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. In clear, unequivocal language, he articulated what now constitutes India’s first publicly declared and assertively defined national security doctrine. India’s national security doctrine has historically been marked by ambiguity, reactive diplomacy, and strategic restraint. Unlike nations such as the United States or Israel, which have long-standing and codified security strategies, India’s posture had remained largely implicit — an accumulation of responses shaped by war, diplomacy, and internal consensus.

For decades, India pursued peace through dialogue even as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism inflicted repeated injuries—from the 1993 Bombay blasts to the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, to Pulwama and the most recent Pahalgam massacre. Yet, the absence of a publicly stated doctrine often left India’s responses open to interpretation or second-guessing by both allies and adversaries. That vacuum has now been filled.

Policy thinkers like Ram Madhav, a senior BJP leader and former National General Secretary, also presaged this articulation. In an article, “It’s time India framed a national security doctrine" (The Indian Express, May 10, 2025), Madhav argued for the urgent need to formulate a coherent strategic framework. He stressed that while India’s armed forces are operationally capable, lacking a guiding doctrine results in reactive and fragmented responses to security threats. He critiqued the limitations of India’s 2003 nuclear doctrine, emphasised the continued threat from adversaries like Pakistan and China, and urged the adoption of a doctrine based on core principles, not rigid manuals. Citing China’s........

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