Force and compromise: India's counter-insurgency grand strategy

The Indian counter-insurgency approach is relatively pmsoftpm when considered against the universe of such campaigns. In general, the Indian Army has deliberately adopted a less violent approach to counter-insurgency that most other armies worldwide. This paper looks at the theory of counter-insurgency warfare in order to situate the Indian approach. It argues that conventional forces tend to have difficulty fighting counter-insurgency campaigns because the most effective and appropriate method to fight such wars, which requires dispersal of forces and small unit operations, are also the most difficult for conventional forces to adopt because the latter tend to emphasize the opposite: concentration of forces and large-scale operations. Two factors are emphasized. First, though military force is a necessary ingredient in counter-insurgency campaigns, such use of force needs to be carefully modulated for it to be effective. Second from the Indian experience, it is clear that patience and a long-term perspective are essential attitudinal requirements in fighting counter-insurgency campaigns.