Defence Ministry Approves Policy On Declassification And Publication Of History Of India’s Wars, Other Military Operations

In a development that is likely to make access to India’s military history easier, the Ministry of Defence has approved a policy on the archiving, declassification and publication of the history of India’s wars and operations.

Under this policy, all records, including war diaries, letters of proceedings and operational record books, etc. will be transferred to the History Division.

The policy says records should be declassified in 25 years. In case of records older than 25 years, archive experts will appraise the records and transfer them to the National Archives of India once the official history has been compiled.

“The policy mandates constitution of a committee headed by Joint Secretary, MoD and comprising of representatives of the Services such as MEA, MHA and other organisations and prominent military historians (if required), for compilation of war and operations histories,” Defence Minister Rajanath Singh has said.

“The policy also set clear timelines with regard to compilation and publication of war/operations histories. The above mentioned committee should be formed within two years of completion of war/operations. The war/operations histories will be compiled within five years,” the minister added.

The History Division will coordinate with various departments to ensure that the records are compiled in line with the policy, and will be responsible for seeking approval and publishing of the history of wars and operations.