Spent 15% of time nixing fake news during Op Sindoor: CDS Anil Chauhan

Time of India

2 days ago

File photo: CDS Anil Chauhan
NEW DELHI: Almost 15% of the operational time during
Operation Sindoor
was spent countering fake narratives and disinformation, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan said Saturday, describing the four-day hostilities with Pakistan as a "non-contact and multi-domain" conflict involving both kinetic and non-kinetic elements that "exemplifies the future of war".
"During the crisis, India retained full operational clarity and autonomy, regardless of broader geopolitical currents," the CDS said during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore as well as in interviews on its sidelines.
India did not detect "any unusual activity" on the "operational or tactical depth" along the 3,488km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China during this time, although Islamabad is closely allied with Beijing, he added.
Moreover, while Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese commercial satellite imagery, the CDS said there is "no proof of real-time targeting support" provided by Beijing during Operation Sindoor.
This came in the backdrop of there being no signs of de-escalation and de-induction of troops between the Indian and Chinese armies along the LAC as yet after disengagement at the two remaining face-off sites at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh last Oct.
Noting that almost 80% of the equipment procured by Pakistan over the last few years has been from China, the CDS said some kind of support and maintenance from OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) would certainly have been provided during the conflict.
"India, by contrast, relied on indigenous systems like Akash, achieving success through effective system networking, integrating both domestic and foreign radars into a cohesive defence structure," Gen Chauhan said.
Politically, the CDS said, India has drawn a new redline against terrorism and proxy war emanating from Pakistan, and "hopefully our adversary will learn lessons" from Operation Sindoor.
While cross-border hostilities have ceased with effect from 5 pm on May 10, the Indian government had made it clear it would respond "precisely and decisively" should there be any further terror attacks with a Pakistani imprint.
"So that has its own dynamics as far as the armed forces are concerned. It will require us to be prepared 24/7," he said.
On the massive disinformation campaign, the CDS underlined the need for a dedicated information warfare vertical. India's strategy laid stress on fact-based communication, even at the cost of slower responses. Initially, two women officers served as spokespersons, while the senior military leadership was engaged in operations.
Only after May 10, Army, IAF and Navy DGMOs briefed the media, he said.
Gen Chauhan also said that cyber operations played a limited role during the conflict. While there were some denial-of-service attacks, India's air-gapped military systems remained secure. While public platforms faced minor disruptions, operational systems were unaffected, he said.