6 Must-Read Books on India's Covert Military Operations

The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s premier foreign intelligence agency, was formed in 1968 after intelligence lapses during the 1962 and 1965 wars exposed the country’s vulnerabilities. Much of its work has remained shrouded in secrecy.

Yatish Yadav’s RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations pulls back the curtain. Through conversations with real agents and detailed accounts of covert missions, it takes readers inside operations that shaped history — from the liberation of Bangladesh to strategic interventions in Fiji, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. A glimpse into the lives of those who risk everything in secrecy, this book is a must-read for anyone intrigued by India’s shadowy world of covert military operations.

Ever wondered what happens when two former intelligence chiefs — one from India, one from Pakistan — sit down to talk? The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace gives you exactly that. In 2016, AS Dulat, ex-chief of India’s R&AW, and Asad Durrani, ex-chief of Pakistan’s ISI, had conversations guided by journalist Aditya Sinha. Their conversations navigated South Asia’s most volatile flashpoints, from Kashmir, 26/11, and even Osama bin Laden.

What emerges is a rare, candid dialogue between two former spymasters, revealing how terror, diplomacy, and global powers like the US and Russia shape the India-Pakistan dynamic. Durrani once joked nobody would believe it even as fiction — yet today, it stands as a first-of-its-kind insight into the masterminds of covert operations in R&AW.

India’s military prowess isn’t limited to its borders — its influence has stretched across the globe through daring international operations. Yet, many of these missions remain largely unknown. In Mission Overseas, former army officer and journalist Sushant Singh uncovers three such forgotten operations in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Sierra Leone.

Drawing on previously unseen military reports and firsthand accounts from soldiers on the ground, Singh reconstructs these missions with remarkable detail. For anyone curious about how India’s armed forces plan and execute operations far from home, Mission Overseas gives you a glimpse into the lesser-known operations of Indian military history.

Also read: Commanders Through the Ages: 7 Books That Reveal the Minds of the World’s Greatest Generals

The story of Bangladesh’s liberation is far richer and more secretive than most of us realise. In April 1971, India’s Navy formed a highly secretive unit — Naval Commando Operations (X), or NCO(X). Known to only a handful within the Navy, this black-ops unit was tasked with disrupting the maritime supply lines that kept the Pakistan Army operational in its eastern province.

Operation X, co-authored by a key NCO(X) member, Mohan Narayan Rao Samant and Sandeep Unnithan, takes readers inside this unprecedented naval campaign. It reveals the daring guerrilla operations, from mining shipping channels to training Bengali youths as combat swimmers, that struck at Pakistan’s lifelines in 1971. A thrilling read for anyone fascinated by covert military operations and the untold stories behind India’s role in Bangladesh’s liberation.

Every intelligence agency has its legends — and for India’s R&AW, they began with the “Kaoboys.” Named after the agency’s first chief, RN Kao, this handpicked team of operatives worked in the shadows from the day R&AW was born in 1968.

One of them, B Raman, spent 26 years inside the organisation. In The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane, he pulls back the curtain on what it was really like to be part of India’s most secretive agency. Far from exaggerated tales, his account is frank and balanced — shedding light on its operations, challenges, and the strengths and flaws of India’s intelligence network.

A rare, first-hand account, it’s as close as readers can get to walking alongside the original Kaoboys.

Before the 1971 Indo-Pak war officially began, a shadow war was already underway in East Pakistan. For nine months before the war, Indian forces covertly supported the resistance through black ops, clandestine missions, and intelligence networks — all while diplomats primed the world for conflict.

Award-winning investigative reporter Ushinor Majumdar brings this hidden struggle to life in India’s Secret War. Drawing on classified records and interviews with veterans, he reveals the daring, high-stakes actions of the Border Security Force that helped shape history.

Buy here: India's Secret War: BSF and Nine Months to the Birth of Bangladesh

India’s national security doesn’t just rely on soldiers on the frontlines — it also depends on the shadows. Agencies like R&AW, the IB, and specialised military units carry out covert missions that often decide the course of conflicts long before they reach the public eye.

While the full scope of these missions remains classified, these accounts from insiders and historical records reveal the risks, planning, and precision involved. They show how India’s covert military operatives work away from the public eye and fight the hidden battles quietly for national security.

Also read: Forgotten Fronts: 8 Books on the Untold Military History of India