India’s Military Space Doctrine

By R Anil Kumar

• India’s Military Space Doctrine: Strategic Evolution & Future Vision; Doctrine to be Ready in 3 Months

• Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan underscores the growing importance of space as a critical military domain, calling for the cultivation of a strong and future-oriented ‘Space Culture’

Bengaluru. India is poised to formally establish its military presence in space with the imminent release of a dedicated Military Space Doctrine and National Space Policy within the next two to three months.

The announcement, made by Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan, represents a significant milestone in India’s evolving space strategy and comes amid increasing focus on defence-space collaboration across multiple fronts.

The Chief of Defence Staff emphasised the space sector reforms undertaken by the country in recent years, and the works of Defence Space Agency, the key agency for developing capabilities that protect India’s interests in outer space and deal with threats of space wars.

The CDS also said that humanity is on the “cusp of an era” where space is emerging as a new domain of warfare, and pitched for developing a “space culture” that entails developing doctrines, conducting research and establishing dedicated warfare schools.

“The Defence Space Agency is working on bringing out a military space doctrine, which hopefully should be out in two or three months. We are also working on a national military space policy,” the CDS told a gathering of defence and space experts.

CDS Chauhan also mentioned the government’s approval of a 52-satellite constellation for the defence sector, of which 31 satellites will be built by the private sector.

“We are going to launch 52-odd satellites for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and private sector,” he said.

The Defence Space Agency is working on an integrated satellite communication grid to mitigate the current limitations and “prepare ourselves for future”, the CDS said.

He underlined that military space operations are critical for identifying potential threats to national security. These threats may originate from state or non-state actors, and the vulnerabilities may extend beyond the space-based system.

“The capabilities of some of our adversaries are growing by leaps and bounds. They have created a special aerospace force, and have demonstrated on-orbit manoeuvres. It is important that we keep track of these because they form part of a risk-mitigation strategy,” the CDS said.

He asserted that as Indians and “as a culture that respects space through knowledge and research, we need to reposition ourselves.”

Underlining how military ethos evolved over the centuries with the evolution of maritime and aerospace warfares, the CDS said that in the past, a seafaring culture may have allowed the Portuguese, the Spaniard, the English or the Dutch to dominate the world.

Similarly, the aerospace culture led to the domination of the US and European nations.

He said during the era of maritime warfare, maritime capabilities could decide the outcome of a battle in the sea or have a major influence on the battle on the land.

Similarly when air power becomes a major instrument of fighting war, it could decide a battle in the air space or have a large effect on the battle on land or the sea.

“So, when we say that space is going to form the basic building blocks of warfare in future, it is going to have an impact on all these three domains,” Chauhan said.

“Hence, it is important to develop space capabilities. And before we develop these capabilities, it is important to create the ‘space culture’, or the culture of talking about space,” he said.

The CDS underlined that space culture is about “new ideas on the use of space”.

Expounding his views of the space culture, the CDS said, “It is about doing seminal research on warfare. It is about the development of doctrines and strategies about space. It is also about development of subjects like space laws, or a framework for space diplomacy.”

The CDS said that while scope for developing the space culture is vast, there is very less literature on it currently.

“Building a space culture is not about creating new start-ups on space. It is also about space journals, articles, space warfare institutes and societies that ideate on it,” he said, adding, “I think there is an important need that Services also have their own space warfare schools in the near future.”

The Space-based assets will become “what we call in military terms, the new centres of gravity”.

He emphasised that militarisation of space is not a futuristic concept and is a “threat of weaponisation”.

“It is not a matter of if, but when,” he said.

The growing arms race in space is going to become a “strategic imperative” and this is something India should not lose sight of, he added.

Emerging Military Space Framework

The Defence Space Agency is actively formulating India’s first comprehensive Military Space Doctrine alongside a National Space Policy, as announced by CDS Anil Chauhan.

This development builds upon India’s existing space security framework, which began taking formal shape with earlier doctrines that emphasised deterrence capabilities.

The 2021 space doctrine from the Takshashila Institution had already established that “India will pursue a doctrine anchored in deterrence and requiring both defensive and offensive capabilities” with the primary objective of preserving India’s use of space.

The forthcoming military doctrine is expected to significantly expand these principles while providing more concrete operational guidelines.

The New doctrine will accelerate growth in the defence space sector specifically, complementing the broader Indian Space Policy 2023.

The 2023 policy had already set out guiding principles to “augment space capabilities; enable, encourage and develop a flourishing commercial presence in space,” while creating a “level playing field and favourable regulatory environment for players within the Indian private sector”.

The military doctrine will likely further define strategic responsibilities between civilian and military space applications while maintaining India’s commitment to peaceful space use.

India’s $44 Billion Space Economy Vision

Central to India’s space ambitions is the target of developing a $44 billion space economy, a figure specifically highlighted by CDS Chauhan in his latest address.

This target aligns with projections he shared earlier in February 2024, when he noted that “the Indian Space economy is currently estimated to be around $8.4 billion” and “is expected to grow to $44 billion by the year 2033”. Achieving this ambitious growth trajectory will require extensive coordination between multiple stakeholders.

“India envisions a $44 billion space economy, which will require strong collaboration between private companies, the armed forces, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), and IN-SPACe,” CDS Chauhan elaborated in his recent statement.

This multi-stakeholder model represents a significant evolution from India’s traditionally government-dominated space program, acknowledging the necessity of private sector involvement for rapid advancement.

Private Sector’s Pivotal Role

The Chief of Defence Staff has placed particular emphasis on the crucial role private companies will play in India’s space future.

“We need to strengthen satellite services, boost manufacturing and launch operations, stimulate the domestic market, and build state-of-the-art infrastructure to position India as a global leader in the space sector,” he remarked.

This perspective represents a continuation of the growing support for private space enterprises in India.

In his February address, CDS Chauhan had highlighted the dramatic growth in India’s space startup ecosystem, noting “We probably had one Start Up in 2014 which has grown to 204 Start Ups in space sector with 54 additions in 2023 itself. In 2023, we as a nation invested $123 million in the sector bringing the total funding to $380.25 million”.

This trajectory is expected to continue under the new doctrine, with private innovation recognised as a key driver of advanced space capabilities.

Practical Military Applications in Orbital Zones

CDS Chauhan has outlined a distinctly pragmatic approach to military space operations, emphasising that military focus should remain on practical, near-Earth applications.

“In space, our focus should be on those orbital regions that directly affect terrestrial warfare and national security, not distant galaxies,” he stated. Specifically, he identified the Earth’s orbital zones—Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geostationary Orbit (GEO)—as the primary domains of interest for military operations.

This practical approach aligns with the principles laid out in earlier doctrine documents, which recognised that space capabilities had become “a vital determinant of national power” and that “India’s growing use of space could make its space assets attractive targets for adversaries”.

By focusing military attention on orbital regions with direct security implications, India appears to be prioritising defensive and force-multiplication capabilities rather than pursuing a broader militarisation of space.

The CDS specifically advised military professionals to maintain this focused perspective: “To my fellow members of the armed forces in the audience today: we, as military professionals, need to remain practical and focused.

The realm of interplanetary or intergalactic travel belongs to the world of science fiction for now. Let’s leave that exploration to others. Our responsibility lies in clearly defining and operating within the scope of military space.”

Regulatory Developments and International Cooperation

The forthcoming Space Activities Bill 2025, which CDS Chauhan described as “a pivotal reform in the space sector,” will provide the regulatory framework necessary to support this expanded vision. This will likely build upon earlier drafts of the Space Activities Bill, which was first made public for comments by ISRO in November 2017 and has been under consideration since then.

The bill aims to regulate and promote private participation in India’s space sector, creating a conducive environment for growth.

In parallel with these domestic developments, India is actively expanding its international space cooperation. Recent developments include plans for Indian military personnel to formally participate in the US Space Command’s annual Global Sentinel exercise in 2025, after having attended as observers in February 2024.

Such international cooperation provides India with valuable experience in space domain awareness and allied space operations, potentially informing the development of its own military space doctrine.

Corollary

The announcement of India’s forthcoming Military Space Doctrine represents a significant evolution in the country’s approach to space security and defence. By formalising military space operations within a comprehensive doctrine, India is signalling its intent to develop robust space capabilities while maintaining a practical focus on near-Earth applications with direct security implications.

The dual emphasis on military capability and private sector involvement reflects India’s balanced approach to space development—seeking security while simultaneously pursuing economic growth.

As the doctrines take final shape in the coming months, they will likely set the course for India’s space ambitions for years to come, potentially establishing the country as a significant space power with well-defined military and civilian space objectives.