&w=3840&q=100)
India won tech war, Pakistan lost as China's proxy, says John Spencer
The medium-range Akash air defence system is in service with the Indian Army and Air Force. (Photo: BEL)
With Operation Sindoor, India did not just win a military conflict with Pakistan but also scored a victory in a technology war with China, according to world's leading military expert John Spencer.
While India fought and won as a sovereign military power, Pakistan fought and lost as a proxy of China, said Spencer, the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at the US Army Military Academy.
In an article on X, Spencer said that Operation Sindoor witnessed a face-off between India's indigenous capabilities against Pakistan's Chinese military platforms and India's victory amounted to a referendum on the technological competition.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'Operation Sindoor pitted India's indigenously developed weapons systems against Chinese-supplied platforms fielded by Pakistan. And India didn't just win on the battlefield — it won the technology referendum. What unfolded was not just retaliation, but the strategic debut of a sovereign arsenal built under the twin doctrines of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat,' said Spencer.
Under Operation Sindoor, India struck terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). When Pakistan launched missile and drone attacks, India attacked Pakistani military. In the four-day conflict that ended on May 10 with Pakistan's request for a ceasefire, India struck at least eight Pakistani airbases in addition to other military sites, such as air defence units and radar sites.
In the four-day conflict, Pakistan relied heavily on foreign-made platforms, ranging from China's JF-17 fighter planes, US F-16s, and Turkish drones to Chinese HQ-9 air defence systems, which were beaten by Indian indigenous systems, such as BrahMos missiles, Akash and Akashteer air defence systems, and integration of foreign-made fighter planes and air defence systems, such as Rafale fighters, Scalp missiles, and S-400, with Indian systems.
'Operation Sindoor a full-scale validation of India's defense transformation under PM Modi'
Spencer said that Operation Sindoor proved to be a 'full-scale validation of India's defense transformation' that began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative in 2014 and picked up renewed pace in 2020 with the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.
With Operation Sindoor, India showed the world 'self-reliance in modern warfare looks like'.
Spencer said, 'Operation Sindoor wasn't just a military campaign. It was a technology demonstration, a market signal, and a strategic blueprint. India showed the world what self-reliance in modern warfare looks like—and proved that 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' works under fire.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
In a sign that India is going double down on indigenisation of military systems after the success of Operation Sindoor, India has approved the building of the prototype of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), an indigenous fifth-generation fighter plane.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
25 minutes ago
- India.com
India-Pakistan Diplomatic Spat: Gas, Water Cut For Indian Diplomats In Islamabad Amid Retaliation
In the wake of India's "Operation Sindoor," a retaliatory cross-border military operation against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, sources have revealed that Pakistan has stepped up efforts to harass Indian diplomats and officials in Islamabad, including reportedly disconnecting basic utility supplies and suspendingnewspaper delivery. "Operation Sindoor," initiated in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, involved nine terrorist hideouts of the Indian Army being bombed, killing more than 100 terrorists according to reports. Subsequent to this operation, India accused Pakistani authorities of a series of moves by Pakistani authorities that contravene the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Sources say that the distribution of newspapers to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and Indian diplomats' homes has been suspended. In retort, India has suspended the supply of newspapers to Pakistani diplomats in New Delhi as well. In addition, there have been reports of alleged surveillance and unauthorised access to Indian diplomats' homes and offices in Islamabad, actions which are a direct violation of international diplomatic norms guaranteeing security and respect for the person of diplomatic staff. These actions are interpreted by Indian authorities as an attempt at intimidating diplomatic personnel. Indian diplomats are also said to be suffering great hardship in getting access to even basic amenities like gas and water. Local shopkeepers, who had earlier supplied packaged drinking water and gas cylinders to the Indian High Commission, are now afraid or refusing supplies outright, allegedly on orders from Pakistani officials. A source in Islamabad informed Aaj Tak that although Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has a pipeline attached to the Indian High Commission building, gas supply through it has been cut off deliberately. The Indian diplomats and their family members are compelled to buy high-cost gas cylinders from the open market, normally with procurement problems, despite having to pay more. Indian officials have termed the newspaper delivery ban as a "deliberate conspiracy by Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to keep Indian diplomats isolated from normal access to print media, restrict their awareness of local developments, and render their living and working conditions in Islamabad unpleasant." Sources also pointed to a precedent for this behavior, remembering the same kind of harassment Indian diplomats had encountered in Islamabad in 2019 after the Indian Army's surgical strikes in retaliation for the Pulwama terrorist attack.
Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump says ‘we'll see what happens' on China tariffs as midnight deadline looms
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would 'see what happens' regarding a tariff deadline for China set for later in the day, Reuters reports. 'They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi and myself,' Trump told reporters at a press conference. The United States and China have been in trade talks over tariffs that Trump reintroduced earlier this year as part of his administration's push to reduce the trade deficit and address what he says are unfair trade practices. The measures include higher duties on a range of Chinese goods, with further increases scheduled unless a deal is reached.
New Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
After CISF, now 4,000 more troopers sanctioned for BSF
NEW DELHI: After the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), now it is the turn for the Border Security Force (BSF) to get a cadre boost. The government has cleared a proposal to create nearly 4,000 additional new Group 'B' and 'C' General Duty (GD) posts in the force. Sources on Monday said that the government's approval for the long-pending move was seen as the recognition of the BSF's expanding and critical role in ensuring national security, particularly after 'Operation Sindoor'. Confirming the move, the sources said, a proposal in this regard has been cleared by the Ministry of Finance's expenditure department, as this would lead to a net addition of nearly 4,000 posts, with a strong focus on increasing supervisory strength and opening up promotion avenues for existing personnel. Notably, however, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked for around 15,000 posts, out of which the Ministry of Finance agreed to only 4,000, the sources said.
