Operation Sindoor: A Decisive Victory in Modern Warfare
India has not declared Operation Sindoor to be completely over. What exists now is
there is a sensitive pause in the operation – some might call it a ceasefire, but the military
leadership has deliberately avoided this word. From the point of view of fighting a war, it is only
this is not a pause; it is a strategic hold following a rare and clear military victory.
After just four days of well-planned military action, it is objectively decisive:
India achieved a major victory. Operation Sindoor achieved its strategic goals
has succeeded in doing and surpassing- dismantling terrorist infrastructure, military superiority
demonstrating military might, restoring deterrence and putting forward a new national security doctrine
It was not symbolic power. It was decisive power, which was clearly exercised.
Was brought.
India was attacked. 26 Indians were killed in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025
Civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, were massacred. Pakistan-based
The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility.
As has been the case for decades, the group is being monitored by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) is supported.
But unlike previous attacks, this time India did not wait. It contacted the international
It did not appeal for arbitration or issue a diplomatic protest. It sent fighter jets
were launched.
On 7 May, India launched Operation Sindoor, a swift and precisely planned
It was a military operation. The Indian Air Force attacked nine terrorist bases inside Pakistan
Which included the headquarters and operations hubs of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The message was clear, terrorist attacks originating from Pakistani soil would now be treated as acts of war.
shall be treated as.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the new doctrine clear: “India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail.”
India will not tolerate terrorist bases developing under the guise of nuclear blackmail
will attack with precision and decisiveness.”
This was more than just a counter-offensive, it was the unveiling of a strategic doctrine.
That Shri Narendra Modi said, “Terrorism and dialogue cannot go together. Water and blood
Can’t flow together.”
Operation Sindoor was deliberately executed in the following phases:
7 May: Nine precision strikes were carried out deep into Pakistani territory. Targets included Bahawalpur, Muridke,
Major terror training camps and logistics nodes located in Muzaffarabad and other places
Were included.
8 May: Pakistan retaliates with massive drone attacks on India’s western states
attacked. India’s multi-layered air defence network- indigenously built and Israeli and
Augmentation by Russian systems neutralised nearly all of them.
9 May: India attacks six Pakistani military airbases and UAV coordination centres
retaliated with attacks.
· May 10: There was a temporary halt to the firing. India did not call it a ceasefire. Indian
The military called it a “pause of fire” – a meaningful but deliberate choice
Which strengthened its strategic control over the situation.
This was not just a tactical success. It was the execution of doctrine under live fire.
Achieved strategic impact
- A new Laxman Rekha was drawn—and enforced
Terrorist attacks from Pakistani soil are now responded to with military force
It will go. This is not a threat. It is an example. - Demonstration of military superiority
India has asserted its ability to strike any target in Pakistan at will.
demonstrated – terrorist hideouts, drone coordination centers, even airbases. Meanwhile,
Pakistan was unable to infiltrate even a single secure area inside India. This similarity
No. It is overwhelming superiority. And that is how real deterrence is established. - Restored deterrent capacity
India retaliated strongly, but stopped short of a full-blown war. Controlled
The escalation sent a clear deterrent signal: India will respond, and it will control the momentum
He does. - Enshrined strategic autonomy
India sought international mediation to resolve this crisis
It applied the doctrine on sovereign terms, using sovereign means.
Operation Sindoor was not about occupation or regime change. It was a military operation with specific objectives.
It was a limited war fought for the purpose of
They did not understand the issue. Strategic success is not about the scale of destruction
- It’s about achieving the desired political effect.
India was not fighting for revenge. It was fighting for resistance. And this work
I did it.
India’s restraint is not weakness – it is maturity. It has costed India, re-established its borders
defined, and maintained increasing dominance. India did not simply respond to the attack.
This changed the strategic equation.
In an era where many modern wars devolve into open occupation or political confusion,
Operation Sindoor is different. It was a display of disciplined military strategy: clear targets,
Aligned methods and means, and adaptive execution in the face of unprecedented growth. India has a
Withstanding the setback, defining your purpose, and achieving it – all this is a finite
within the time limit.
The use of force in Operation Sindoor was heavy but controlled – precise, decisive and without any bias.
Such clarity is rare in the hesitant modern war. The “forever wars” and
In an era defined by cycles of violence without strategic direction, Sindoor is different. It is clear
a limited war with clearly defined objectives, compatible methods and means, and a single country
Presents a model of a country that never gave up on initiative.
The India of 2008 suffered the attacks and waited. This India responded with promptness, precision and clarity.
counter-attacks with.
Modi’s doctrine, India’s growing domestic defence industry and the professionalism of its armed forces
All signs point to the country no longer preparing for war. That
Preparing for the next war.
The halt in the operation is not the end of Operation Sindoor. It is a pause. India Initiative
If provoked again, he will strike again.
This is the restoration of deterrence. This is a new doctrine that has emerged. And state-sponsored
All countries facing the threat of terrorism should study this.
Operation Sindoor was a modern war – one that, with the threat of nuclear escalation, threatened to destroy the entire world
This was in focus, and was fought under a limited purpose framework. And every
It was a strategic success on a significant scale – and a decisive Indian victory.
John Spencer is the executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute. He is also the author of Understanding
He is the co-author of Urban Warfare.
