Army revamps training policy for long-term continuity, adopts 4-year directive

In a major revamp of its training policy aimed at ensuring long-term continuity and coherence, the Army has extended the periodicity of the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) Training Directive from two years to four years.

The COAS Training Directive, which lays down the foundation of training in the Army, modalities and key result areas, will now be issued once every four years instead of biennially.

“The periodicity of the COAS Training Directive has been revised from biennial to quadrennial, ensuring longer-term coherence,” Lt Gen Devendra Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC) said at the Command’s 35th Raising Day in Shimla on Wednesday.

The first COAS Quadrennial Training Directive for 2025–29, prepared by ARTRAC, was issued earlier this year.

Army sources said that the earlier two-year period was considered very short for the implementation of guidelines and achieving tangible results. The increased time frame from the 2025-26 training year will provide adequate time to formations and units to implement the directives.

This would also provide a reasonable timeframe for structuring and validating the absorption of niche technologies, maintain correct operational focus by de-cluttering the training calendar and ensure continuity and coherence over a longer time horizon, sources added.

The ARTRAC chief said that the Command has also accelerated the rollout of drone training, aiming to prepare combatants in accordance with the Army’s vision of 'Drones as Eagle on the Arm of every Soldier.'

He said that ARTRAC is on track to integrate 34 niche technologies into its curriculum by 2030, having provided advanced training to over 18,000 soldiers this year, with a plan for 12,000 more in the coming year.

In pursuit of greater technology absorption, ARTRAC has signed multiple Memorandums of Understanding with leading institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology, to promote joint research and innovation.

Further, to refine the planning process, the concept of ‘Red Teaming’, which is a contrarian tool, has been institutionalised and the expertise gained over past one year is being shared with the other two sister Services, the Army Commander said.

Referred to as the Indian Army's strategic think-tank' for doctrine and training, ARTRAC was raised on October 1, 1991 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh to meet the critical requirement of a centralised agency focused exclusively on all aspects of training and formulating concepts of modern warfare.

Since its move to Shimla in March 1993, this role has expanded significantly. ARTRAC now provides oversight in enabling the highest standards of institutionalised training across its 34 ‘Category-A’ training establishments spread all over the country.

Other important roles include provision of doctrinal support to the Army and bringing of adversarial perspective in operational planning.

ARTRAC also conducted the first ever tri-service seminar, Ran Samwaad - 2025, at the Army War College, Mhow in August, wherein participants from the three services deliberated upon next generation warfare and strategic construct in the Indian context.