The National Defense Policy is the primary document that guides India's defense strategy and outlines its objectives, principles, and priorities.

India's defense policy aims to deter and defeat external aggression, promote regional stability, and safeguard national interests.

The Principle of Credible Minimum Deterrence emphasizes the need for India to maintain a credible minimum deterrent to dissuade potential adversaries from launching an attack.

The Principle of Strategic Autonomy allows India to make independent decisions regarding defense procurement and alliances, ensures that it is not reliant on any single country for its defense needs, and promotes self-reliance in defense production and technology development.

The Principle of Non-Alignment underscores India's commitment to non-alignment and peaceful coexistence with all countries, regardless of their political or ideological orientation.

The Principle of Collective Security emphasizes the importance of collective efforts to maintain international peace and security, promotes cooperation and coordination among nations to address common security challenges, and encourages the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomatic means.

The Principle of No First Use guides India's approach to nuclear weapons, stating that India will not be the first to use nuclear weapons in any conflict.

The Principle of Minimum Deterrence ensures that India maintains a credible nuclear deterrent without engaging in an arms race, emphasizes the importance of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and promotes transparency and confidence-building measures among nuclear-armed states.

The Principle of Regional Cooperation underscores India's commitment to promoting regional peace and stability through cooperation and engagement with its neighbors.

India's defense modernization program aims to enhance the operational capabilities of the armed forces, promote self-reliance in defense production, and strengthen India's position as a regional power.

The Malabar Exercise is an annual joint military exercise conducted by India, the United States, and Japan, aimed at promoting cooperation and interoperability among the three countries.

BIMSTEC aims to promote regional cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and tourism, enhance connectivity and infrastructure development among member countries, and address common security challenges and promote maritime security.

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation among countries bordering the Indian Ocean, focusing on areas such as trade, investment, tourism, and maritime security.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) aims to promote regional security and cooperation among member states, address common challenges such as terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking, and facilitate economic cooperation and trade among member states.

India is not a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).