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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Baseless doubts on Op Sindoor reveal bankruptcy of Indian politics
For India, prolonging the war is exactly what China would have desired. The fact that it compelled a 'nuclear power' to seek a truce in 88 hours is in itself remarkable read more While some may term it as politicisation of the armed forces, the fact remains that the Indian Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, spoke from his heart on Operation Sindoor while delivering the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru recently. A few days before the air chief's address, the army chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, gave his version of the operation while inaugurating 'Agnishodh', the Indian Army Research Cell at IIT Madras. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both spoke on near-similar subjects: political will, clear directions, no restrictions and major damage to Pakistan's infrastructure and assets. Their tone and tenor also conveyed that the armed forces were tired of being criticised by our own polity, which sought to play down their success, questioned conditions under which the ceasefire was imposed and sought answers to assets lost. The frustration was evident when the air chief mentioned Balakot: 'We had intelligence of what had gone on inside, a very clear picture that there had been huge damage, that so many terrorists had been neutralised. But we could not convince our own people.' He implied that the Indian polity was the first to doubt their success in Balakot, which did impact the morale of those involved in the operations. He added that this time there was ample evidence. On Sindoor, setting aside doubts on the downing of Pakistan aircraft, a question never raised in parliament, the air chief highlighted that India's air defence systems destroyed five Pakistani fighter jets and an AWAC/ELINT (airborne surveillance and early warning) aircraft. He added that some parked F-16s, under maintenance, were destroyed in Jacobabad, and an AWAC was destroyed at the Bholari airfield. To date almost none from the polity have acknowledged this announcement. He backed his inputs by mentioning, 'One thing that was good this time was not only did we have satellite pictures, we also had a lot of inputs from the local media, which was giving us inside pictures.' The air chief was quietening those who questioned the military's success, intending to target the current government. It was also to set the record straight and lift the morale of the air force, whose personnel were tired of being criticised. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both the army and air chiefs defended their freedom to act, once again hitting back at politicians who claimed in parliament that the forces acted with their 'hands tied behind their backs'. The army chief mentioned that a day after Pahalgam the defence minister conveyed to them, 'You decide what is to be done,' adding, 'That is what raised our morale.' The air chief mentioned, 'We had full freedom to plan and execute.' He also added, 'If there were any constraints, they were self-made… We decided how much to escalate.' The service chiefs had evaluated different levels of escalation and how they would respond. They were unanimous in their decision that prolonging the conflict would not provide any advantage. On this, the air chief simply stated, 'We cannot afford to be continuously at war. We were in a mode of deterrence. The decision was taken at the higher level not to continue the war, and we were part of it.' It was evident that the decision was a politico-military decision and logical, as India had given the requisite message to Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If even now the doubting Thomases in India cannot comprehend, then the standard of our polity is fairly poor. For India, prolonging the war is exactly what China would have desired. The fact that it compelled a 'nuclear power' to seek a truce in 88 hours is in itself remarkable. The air chief singled out the capabilities of the Russian S400 missile systems and our own indigenous air defence networks. He mentioned that one large aircraft was destroyed at a range of 300 km, adding, 'This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about.' India is bound to procure more such systems from Russia, a subject discussed when the Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) visited Russia recently. The air chief also mentioned that no Pakistani aircraft came close to the Indian air defence network. Simultaneously, keeping ongoing diplomatic outreach in mind, there was no criticism of the performance of Chinese equipment, nor any mention of US F-16s. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The address of the air chief also blasted apart Pakistan's narrative of Indian losses alone. Pakistan was recently spinning a new narrative that their air chief, Zaheer Sidhu, who has only been photographed sitting in the rear seat of a Pakistani aircraft, had been sleeping on a mattress for days in anticipation of an Indian assault. Since the Indian announcement, there has been only a comment from the Pakistani defence minister claiming none of their aircraft were downed. It is now Pakistan which is struggling to hide its losses. General Dwivedi, on his part, tore apart the Pakistan army chief, failed Field Marshal Asim Munir's claim of victory based on a fake narrative. He mentioned, 'If you ask a Pakistani whether you won or lost, he'd say, 'My chief has become a field marshal; we must have won.'' It was a punch which had to be replied to. Asim Munir retaliated by playing up his nuclear threat from the US. He threatened to launch missiles on any Indian dam constructed on rivers under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), as well as on a nuclear reactor, in case Pakistan is threatened. He mentioned, 'We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us.' Is the threat from Munir, or was he speaking on someone else's behalf? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Most likely this comment, made on US soil, was aimed at galvanising Trump into announcing he will negotiate the Kashmir dispute and possibly even the IWT based on threats of tariffs and trade, hoping to be again nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. What both fail to realise is the strong Indian stance of bilateral talks only. Rejecting Trump's offer will push Indo-US ties further down while enhancing Pakistan-US ties. It is hoped that our polity does not play up this statement for political gains. Both the air chief and his army counterpart specifically addressed the questions being raised by the polity. If even now, the Indian armed forces are not praised for Operation Sindoor and the reason for accepting the ceasefire is not understood, then it will only display the poor understanding of our polity. The author is a former Indian Army officer, strategic analyst and columnist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India.com
4 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
From Soldiers To Scientists – India Must Unite For Future Battles, Says Army Chief
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said that India's future security will rely on a 'whole-of-nation' approach, bringing together soldiers, scientists, industry, academia, and civilians in a united effort. General Dwivedi was speaking at the inauguration of the Indian Army Research Cell (IARC) - 'AgniShodh' at IIT Madras. General Dwivedi stressed that future warfare will demand seamless coordination between the armed forces, academia, industry, government research bodies, and even civilian volunteers, and urged IIT Madras faculty and students to focus on cutting-edge fields such as advanced composites, microelectronics, secure communications, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and synthetic biology. Speaking on Operation Sindoor, General Dwivedi said that after the horrific Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, the central government had given a free hand to the three service chiefs for further action. General Dwivedi said by April 25, the Northern Command had executed strikes on seven of the nine identified targets, hitting deep inside what Dwivedi called the 'heartland' of terror infrastructure, destroying training facilities and killing numerous militants. General Dwivedi added that two additional targets deeper inside Pakistan were hit using Indian Air Force assets due to their range requirements. On May 7, air strikes on camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir eliminated over 100 fighters. Dwivedi stressed that the operation was aimed directly at the 'nurseries of terrorism and their handlers.' Describing Operation Sindoor as both a powerful retaliatory measure and a demonstration of India's growing prowess, the Army Chief said it showcased the nation's ability to mount multi-domain operations — integrating land, air, cyber, and space warfare with tight inter-agency coordination.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Not just military's job': Army Chief urges citizens, scientists to join nation's defence
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said India's future security would rest on a 'whole-of-nation' approach, where soldiers, scientists, industry, academia, and citizens work in unison. Speaking at IIT Madras for the inauguration of the Indian Army Research Cell, he described how technology, civil preparedness, and public participation were as vital as military action. He also spoke about Operation Sindoor — the precision strikes launched in May inside Pakistan and PoK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Dwivedi's address drew heavily on his service's internal post-action assessments, which have focused on both technology integration and narrative management. 'Victory is in the mind,' he said. He pointed to Pakistan's success in convincing its domestic population that it had prevailed — aided, he suggested, by symbolic acts such as the promotion of its army chief to field marshal. India's answer was a deliberate, coordinated information campaign. 'If you ask a Pakistani whether you lost or won, he'd say, my chief has become field marshal, we must have won only,' Dwivedi said, adding, 'The first messaging we did was, 'Justice done.' That hit the maximum, I am told, in the world today in terms of the number of hits.' The Army paired that message with visible briefings, including press conferences by two women officers — one from the Army, another from the Air Force. Even the operation's logo, now widely circulated online, was designed in-house by a Lieutenant Colonel and a non-commissioned officer. Dwivedi framed modern defence as a shared responsibility, and highlighted initiatives from community bunkers along the border to advanced drones built with Indian institutes. Drawing attention to all modern war fronts, he noted how some nations have insulated their civilian life from the visible effects of war. Citing Moscow during the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict, he said that despite the scale of fighting, 'you don't realise that the war is on' when you are in the Russian capital. Elaborating on the importance of shielding the population from panic and disruption, even in times of heightened military operations — Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor was fought like a game of chess, not in the open-field conventions of 20th-century warfare, but in the 'grey zone,' where operations are calibrated to fall just short of full-scale war while still inflicting strategic damage. 'We did not know what is the next move the enemy is going to take and what are we going to do. This is something we called the grey zone… Somewhere, we were giving him a checkmate and somewhere we were kind of going in for the kill at the risk of even losing our own — but that's what life is all about,' he said. By April 25, Northern Command had planned and executed strikes on seven of nine identified targets — hitting what Dwivedi called 'the heartland' for the first time, destroying terror training infrastructure and killing large numbers of militants. Two additional targets, located deeper in Pakistan, were struck with Indian Air Force assets because of the extended ranges required. Early on May 7, aerial attacks eliminated over 100 fighters at camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 'This was the first time we hit the heartland and of course our target was the nursery and the masters.' The operation, he said, was anchored in three factors: a rare clarity of political will, integrated tri-service planning, and the rapid fusion of intelligence with technology. 'All three chiefs were very clear that something had to be done,' Dwivedi said. 'A free hand was given — you decide what is to be done. That kind of confidence, political direction, and political clarity we saw for the first time.' The Army Chief framed Operation Sindoor not merely as retaliation but as a demonstration of India's evolving capability to operate in multi-domain conflict — land, air, cyber, and space — with tight integration between agencies and services. For the first time, he said, a single operational name was used by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, replacing the earlier practice of separate codenames. He said when he was briefed about the operation's name, he thought it was Operation Sindu — the Indus River. 'I said excellent sir, Indus Water Treaty has just been frozen by you. Then I am told, it is not Sindu but Operation Sindoor. Just see this one name has connected the whole nation together,' he said, adding that every time a woman applies Sindoor, 'she will always remember the soldier.' Narrative shaping, he said, is no longer secondary to battlefield success; it is part of the operation's architecture from the outset. 'It is about influencing the domestic population, the adversary's population, and the neutral population,' he said, describing a 'narrative management system' that tracked social sentiment, countered disinformation, and used trusted voices to reinforce the official account. Much of the speech was devoted to the technological backbone of Operation Sindoor. India's forces, Dwivedi said, are moving from 'muddy trenches to the internet of military things,' where data, sensors, and autonomous systems shape battlefield decisions in real time. On the intelligence side, the Army sought to unify its picture with the Navy and Air Force, layering surveillance data into a common operational view. The operation employed a mix of manned platforms, commercial satellite imagery, and 'pseudo-satellites' — high-altitude platforms capable of loitering over target areas — to track activity before and during the strikes. Tethered drones were used to overcome jamming, maintaining persistent eyes over critical zones. Social media and open-source data also played a role. Dwivedi alluded to 'good Samaritans' in India's global diaspora who helped gather relevant imagery and signals. Light-mapping analysis, which tracks night-time illumination patterns, was used to detect changes in activity. The campaign also tested India's capacity for 'federated' versus centralised data flows — balancing the resilience of distributed systems with the efficiency of unified command networks. A secure communications platform, developed with IIT Madras and known as Sambhav, allowed real-time coordination but also revealed the dangers of overloading channels during crises. In the air and on the ground, he said, the operation underscored the accelerating drone-counter-drone cycle. Indian units employed modified commercial drones, some adapted in partnership with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for both reconnaissance and strike missions. Counter-drone systems, including soft-kill jammers and hard-kill interceptors, were integrated into the defensive plan. 'Drone and counter-drone is a ratcheting effect,' Dwivedi said. 'Both have to keep overcoming each other's strength.' Precision-guided munitions, converted from 'dumb' bombs, were a major factor in the operation's cost-effectiveness. Extended-range artillery and rocket systems were employed with circular error probabilities as low as two meters, according to the Army Chief. The doctrine, he argued, is shifting from attrition to precision: 'When the precision has increased, the cost does not make a difference — the impact does.' Talking about the civilian dimension of the border conflict, he said that India's population density near the Line of Control is lower than on the Pakistani side — a fact he suggested acts as a deterrent against large-scale attacks on civilian areas. Still, he said, the Army invests in civil defence exercises, construction of community bunkers, and coordination with the National Cadet Corps and local authorities to ensure awareness and readiness. The general's broader message was that future wars will require the 'whole-of-nation' approach — not just military forces, but academia, industry, government research agencies, and even citizen volunteers. He cited the Army's creation of a Technology Committee with 16 clusters, partnerships with IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, and an internship programme to draw engineers into military projects. Dwivedi urged faculty and students of IIT-Madras to contribute to priority areas including advanced composites, microelectronics, secure communications, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and synthetic biology.
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
"In Op Sindoor, we played chess:" Gen Upendra Dwivedi at inauguration of 'Agnishodh' at IIT Madras
Synopsis Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi inaugurated 'Agnishodh' at IIT Madras, an Indian Army Research Cell aimed at boosting self-reliance in defence technology. The initiative focuses on upskilling military personnel in advanced technologies and fostering collaboration with IIT Madras Research Park. ANI "In Op Sindoor, we played chess:" Gen Upendra Dwivedi at inauguration of 'Agnishodh' at IIT Madras Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), inaugurated 'Agnishodh' - the Indian Army Research Cell (IARC) at IIT Madras, marking a significant step towards self-reliance in defence technology. The initiative aims to upskill military personnel in emerging fields such as additive manufacturing, cybersecurity, quantum computing, wireless communication and unmanned systems, fostering a tech-enabled force. The collaboration will also extend to the IIT Madras Research Park, including partnerships with AMTDC and Pravartak Technologies Foundation. On the occasion, Dwivedi addressed the faculty and students on "Operation Sindoor - A New Chapter in India's Fight Against Terrorism," highlighting it as a calibrated, intelligence-led operation reflecting a doctrinal underlined the role of indigenous technology and precision military action in reinforcing India's proactive security posture. He also lauded the IIT faculty for their contribution to nation-building through academic an address at IIT Madras, he said, "In Operation Sindoor, we played chess. We did not know what the enemy's next move was going to be, and what we were going to do. This is called the grey zone. Grey zone means that we are not going for the conventional operations. What we are doing is just short of a conventional operation. We were making the chess moves, and he (enemy) was also making the chess moves. Somewhere we were giving them the checkmate and somewhere we were going in for the kill at the risk of losing our own but that's life is all about." Speaking on the Operation, the COAS said, "What happened on 22 April in Pahalgam shocked the nation. On the 23rd, the next day itself, we all sat down. This was the first time that RM (Defence Minister Rajnath Singh) said, "Enough is enough". All three chiefs were very clear that something had to be done. The free hand was given, 'you decide what is to be done.' That is the kind of confidence, political direction and political clarity we saw for the first time. That is what raises your morale. That is how it helped our army commanders-in-chief to be on the ground and act as per their wisdom.""On the 25th, we visited the Northern Command, where we thought, planned, conceptualised and executed the seven targets out of the nine that were destroyed, and a lot of terrorists were killed. On April 29, we met the Prime Minister for the first time. It is important that how a small name Op Sindoor connects the whole nation. That is something which galvanised the whole nation. That is the reason the whole nation was saying why have you stopped? That question was being asked and it has been amply answered," Dwivedi added. (ANI)
