Amid the increasingly complex and uncertain dynamics of the global strategic environment, Indonesia, as the world’s largest archipelagic state, faces multidimensional challenges in safeguarding its sovereignty and national resilience. Prolonged threats (ranging from conventional military aggression, cyberattacks, to economic-political disruptions) demand a fundamental renewal of the national defense doctrine. Currently, Indonesia relies on two primary doctrines, namely OMP and OMSP, which have not fully accommodated the characteristics of long-term, evolving threats. This study aims to analyze the necessity, development direction, and integration of a protracted war doctrine within Indonesia’s national defense system. The method used is qualitative-descriptive through literature review, policy analysis, and comparative studies of cases such as the Vietnam War and the Afghan War, both representing the effectiveness of protracted war strategies. The findings reveal that the absence of a protracted war doctrine in Indonesia’s defense framework creates a strategic gap in addressing simultaneous and unpredictable threats. Strengthening multidimensional resilience (including military, social, economic, and diplomatic aspects) integrated under a long-term command system is essential. This study recommends that the government promptly formulate and institutionalize a protracted war doctrine as an integral part of Indonesia’s archipelagic-based defense system, while also updating legal and strategic policy frameworks to ensure responsiveness to the broad spectrum of evolving modern threats.