"Modern conflicts are multi-domain, yet land forces remain indispensable." Discuss with reference to India's evolving military doctrine and the need for jointness.

Multi-domain operations combine land, air, sea, space, cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum into one campaign. When the Raksha Mantri released the Land Warfare Doctrine (Oct 2026), he said that land forces remain indispensable even as these other domains grow [1]. India's doctrine is therefore moving towards an integrated model in which the Army stays central.

Why modern conflict is multi-domain

• Operation Sindoor (May 2025) used drones, layered air defence and electronic warfare. The Integrated Air Command and Control System linked the assets of all three services [4].
• Grey Zone Warfare was on the agenda of the Army Commanders' Conference in Jaisalmer (Oct 2025) [8].
• The Raksha Mantri called for faster work on AI, autonomous systems, data analytics and cybersecurity [1].

Why land forces remain indispensable

• India has long, disputed land borders with China and Pakistan. Only troops on the ground can hold and control territory.
• New formations: Rudra Brigades, Divyastra Batteries and Bhairav Battalions have been deployed along the northern borders [3].
• The Army also handles troop-heavy tasks: counter-terrorism, Line of Control (LoC) duties, disaster relief and UN peacekeeping [1].

India's evolving military doctrine

• MoD declared 2025 the 'Year of Reforms', aiming at multi-domain integrated operations and Integrated Theatre Commands [2].
• A Joint Doctrine for Multi Domain Operations was released [7], and 8 Joint Doctrines/Manuals were completed in 2025 [3].
• The Land Warfare Doctrine restructures the Army around drones and modern technology [1].

The need for jointness

• The CDS and the Department of Military Affairs were created to integrate the three services [5].
• Theatre commands would separate operational command from the services' raise-train-sustain role, under a joint culture [6].
• Implementation gap: only 35% of Joint Doctrines and 29% of deliverables were completed, and full theaterisation is still pending [3]. Because the Army doctrine has come before the joint framework, single-service choices may end up shaping the joint plan.

In short, modern war is fought in many domains, but it is still decided on land. The way forward is to set a time-bound roadmap for theatre commands and to check the Land Warfare Doctrine against the joint doctrines, as the Raksha Mantri urged when he said reforms must deliver "tangible operational benefits" [1]. Doing this would turn domain strength into national security.