In this monograph, an attempt has been made to analyse the historical evolution of independent India’s armed forces. The development of the armed forces as an institution, its nature, purpose and the formulation of the doctrines as regards the functions of the Indian military are the central concerns of this volume. It also opens up the question regarding the nature of the Indian state. The methodology followed is an amalgam of organizational culture analysis and history of idea approach. In order to assess India’s success in harnessing military power vis-à-vis other developing countries, a comparative methodology is followed. A proper evaluation of the Indian armed forces’ combat effectiveness is impossible without a detailed analysis of the militaries of Pakistan and China. The rigorous analysis of the empirical data will probably provide the Indian strategic managers with some policy relevance. \n