Latest news with #TomCooper
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
How India Took World By Surprise With Its Air Shield & What Stopped Pak From Using Nukes? HT Podcast
Military expert and aviation expert Tom Cooper exposes how Pakistan's defences were of no match to India's in this exclusive interview with Abhishek Singh, Deputy Editor, Hindustan Times. Cooper highlights India's superior integrated air defence system, the precision strikes on terror camps and Pakistani military infrastructure, and the implications of Pakistan's ballistic missile launches amid nuclear tensions. Watch the full interview
India.com
17-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
When Silence Speaks: How India's Restraint Became Its Strongest Weapon
New Delhi: In a world that often confuses noise with strength, restraint is underrated. But according to renowned war historian Tom Cooper, it was precisely India's strategic restraint, if not bravado, that tilted the scales during the post-Pahalgam military face-off with Pakistan. The April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Baisaran meadow that killed 26 civilians triggered an immediate Indian military response in the form of 'Operation Sindoor' – a swift, precise and punishing strike on nine terror-linked sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. However, what followed was more telling than the operation itself. 'India could have gone further. It could have crippled Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure. It had the means. But it did not,' said Cooper in a recent interview. Restraint, Not Retaliation According to Cooper, India's military had access to strike Pakistan's nuclear storage facilities – a move that could have drastically changed the region's strategic landscape. 'Indian generals are cautious. They understand the gravity of crossing that line. And that is what makes this different. The real story is not what India hit. It is what it chose not to,' he said. This, he argues, was the quiet victory – decisive yet controlled. Pakistan's Response: All Bark, No Bite? While Pakistani leadership threatened retaliation, their actual military response, according to Cooper, was ineffective. 'They launched UAVs and missiles in large numbers. But what did they accomplish? Nothing significant,' he said. Indian air defenses, in his words, remained 'vivid, active and lethal'. Meanwhile, India continued its operations with surgical precision, neutralising key elements of Pakistan's air defense network. Cooper points out that even Pakistan's follow-up airstrike yielded no serious consequences. 'India was not only prepared, it was unshaken,' he added. A Victory Beyond Borders Cooper's analysis reframes the narrative. Unlike past skirmishes, this was not about chest-thumping or international mediation. It was about control – of arsenal, emotion and narrative. 'Pakistan tried to escalate and failed. India could have escalated but did not. That is not just military superiority, it is psychological dominance,' Cooper said. When Restraint Becomes Power This is not the story of a battlefield soaked in conquest. It is the story of a country that knew where to hit and where to stop. In a region where history often rhymes with violence, 'Operation Sindoor' may be remembered not only for its military impact but for the message it carried – that modern warfare is not only about firepower. Sometimes, the loudest message is delivered in silence. And that silence, according to Cooper, may have just saved South Asia from the brink.
India Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pak indictrinates civilians to believe in mafia superiority"
Vienna [Austria], May 16 (ANI): Tom Cooper, Military aviation analyst and historian, said that it is a classic strategy of Pakistan to indoctrinate its people and make them believe in Pakistan mafia superiority. Cooper said that Pakistan is spreading misinformation among its civilians that Pakistan can defeat India with its fighter jets from China. 'This messaging is classic for Pakistan. Essentially, we have a situation where the country and its population has been indoctrinated to believe in Pakistani and mafia superiority vis a vis India and correspondingly military superiority vis a vis India and some kind impression that the Pakistani armed forces are invincible,' he said. 'And especially in comparison to India that India cannot defeat the Pakistani Air Force, the ground forces, navy, and Pakistan is strong and perfectly armed with latest equipment from USA and China with F-16s and GF-17s and J-10s. This latest Chinese air to air missiles and so on, and this is exactly the same,' he said. While speaking on Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and General Munir, standing on a tank for photo ops and touring a military base when they couldn't fight a frontal battle with India, Cooper said that it is a part of their lies to build the morale of the nation. 'So when they climb on the top of the tank, they must rebuild the morale and the self-confidence of nation. They are the first to know what is the actual situation. The first to know that is the title general of Pakistani Armed Forces, and the second, because he has to inform the Prime Minister, of course, so they both know they have been defeated,' he said. Cooper said that though the two know that the facts are untrue, they still declared a victory. 'They both know that related rumours, at least if not be true. The full two are going to reach the public sooner or later. Therefore, they must climb on, on the tank climb on the, the tank and declare a victory. Yeah, what is better for that purpose but standing on a tank,' he said. Cooper while talking to ANI said that India hit exactly where it hurts, even without hitting nuclear targets. 'It is fascinating to watch how Indian top military commanders have precisely, methodically, systematically targeted very selected points, not enter air bases. They're not after destroying entire bases, they're not under destroying cities, the least,' he said. 'But after striking precisely selected points at selected air bases, they could have hit anywhere almost in Pakistan, but the point was to, hit where it really hurts. And so you have, for example, you have this a trailer mounted a command site at the Noor Khan Air Base, which was smashed entirely,' Cooper added. He said that India tracked precise movements of Pakistani personnel and caught the aircrafts inside the hangar. 'Hangars has been hit with aircraft at the inside. These hangers targeted because Indian armed forces were able to follow the movement of specific Pakistani aircraft, landing, rolling into the hanger, and then there was an attack by Indian armed forces and it caught the aircraft still inside the hangar and also the personnel of the unit operating the aircraft,' he said. Cooper said that there is clear evidence of victory of Indian victory against Pakistan against Pakistani claims. 'So Indian armed forces were striking very precisely against very selected targets and there is clear evidence for success in this regards. On the contrary, by all the Pakistani claims, it is actually almost exactly like back in 2019 during the Balakot affairs. Pakistani establishment, Pakistani government, Pakistani armed forces are issuing one statement after the other, which is proven as lie,' he said. (ANI)
India Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pak massively misusing religion breeding jihadism," Military Aviation Analyst Tom Cooper
Vienna [Austria], May 16 (ANI): Stating Pakistan is 'massively misusing religion,' breeding jihadism, Military aviation analyst and historian Tom Cooper said he does not expect the situation to change. Cooper, while talking to ANI, said that the religion-based terrorism has spread to Nigeria and the Philippines. 'They (Pakistan) are massively misusing religion in particular, creating de facto breeding jihadism, financing, organising, commanding jihadism, through the history from Nigeria in West Africa to the Philippines in the Pacific. So, well in this regards, nothing is going to change. I do not expect anything to change,' he said. Cooper said that Pakistan is plagued by military dictatorship. 'The relationship between Pakistani military and civilian leadership was never good. There are several coups and the country was subjected to military dictatorship through much of its history. So this issue is never going to be sorted out. The armed forces in Pakistan have their own aims,' he said. Cooper said that Indian intelligence has precisely monitored its targets and activities at Pakistani nuclear bases. 'I find this commentary by the Indian defence minister of interest and of importance because it appears to be making clear that India, through its intelligence services to be monitoring, activities at the Pakistani nuclear facilities. That India is an excellent picture about what is going on, going on over there,' he said. He added that the concerns of Pakistan's unreliability with regards to nuclear arms should have been flagged almost two decades ago. 'It it's such a good picture that towards the end of fighting, it ended actually after India hit the two entrances to one of Pakistani underground facilities suspected or assumed to be a nuclear weapon storage facility. When he now says that Pakistan's ability to handle nuclear weapons is questionable. On one side, this is nothing new. We, have heard such concerns should be given by nuclear scientists and not just few of them, only 20 years ago or even more,' he said. Cooper told ANI that India was vigilant on Pakistan's activities. 'It is just a confirmation that the situation in this regards hasn't improved on one side or the other side that India is careful, carefully monitoring what the Pakistan is doing at their nuclear facilities. So it is also a confirmation for this dominance or freedom of operation of Indian armed forces well inside Pakistan because it means India has probably has satellites in orbit, probably long range. UAE is orbiting specific facilities inside Pakistan and Pakistan can't do anything against that,' he said. (ANI)
NDTV
15-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Pak Massively Misusing Religion Breeding Jihadism": Military Historian Tom Cooper
Vienna: Stating Pakistan is "massively misusing religion," breeding jihadism, Military aviation analyst and historian Tom Cooper said he does not expect the situation to change. Cooper, while talking to ANI, said that the religion-based terrorism has spread to Nigeria and the Philippines. "They (Pakistan) are massively misusing religion in particular, creating de facto breeding jihadism, financing, organising, commanding jihadism, through the history from Nigeria in West Africa to the Philippines in the Pacific. So, well in this regards, nothing is going to change. I do not expect anything to change," he said. Cooper said that Pakistan is plagued by military dictatorship. "The relationship between Pakistani military and civilian leadership was never good. There are several coups and the country was subjected to military dictatorship through much of its history. So this issue is never going to be sorted out. The armed forces in Pakistan have their own aims," he said. Cooper said that Indian intelligence has precisely monitored its targets and activities at Pakistani nuclear bases. "I find this commentary by the Indian defence minister of interest and of importance because it appears to be making clear that India, through its intelligence services to be monitoring, activities at the Pakistani nuclear facilities. That India is an excellent picture about what is going on, going on over there," he said. He added that the concerns of Pakistan's unreliability with regards to nuclear arms should have been flagged almost two decades ago. "It it's such a good picture that towards the end of fighting, it ended actually after India hit the two entrances to one of Pakistani underground facilities suspected or assumed to be a nuclear weapon storage facility. When he now says that Pakistan's ability to handle nuclear weapons is questionable. On one side, this is nothing new. We, have heard such concerns should be given by nuclear scientists and not just few of them, only 20 years ago or even more," he said. Cooper told ANI that India was vigilant on Pakistan's activities. "It is just a confirmation that the situation in this regards hasn't improved on one side or the other side that India is careful, carefully monitoring what the Pakistan is doing at their nuclear facilities. So it is also a confirmation for this dominance or freedom of operation of Indian armed forces well inside Pakistan because it means India has probably has satellites in orbit, probably long range. UAE is orbiting specific facilities inside Pakistan and Pakistan can't do anything against that," he said.
