In many states in the developing world, tensions between the armed forces and a civilian government have sometimes led to the extreme sanction of a military coup d'etat. India remains one of the exceptions. Despite great ethnic, religious, regional and economic challenges to the existing order, her military officers have remained loyal to the legitimate government of the day. Based on extensive work with senior military figures, this book examines the remarkable consensus of purpose between Indian officers and their civil counterparts in the construction and maintenance of civil supremacy-of-rule.