Operation Sindoor: A harbinger of India’s dynamic escalation response doctrine

The shockwaves of Operation Sindoor—India’s robust military response to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025—are still reverberating through South Asia’s strategic corridors. Not merely a punitive strike, it was a doctrinal recalibration of India’s threshold of tolerance towards cross-border terrorism and an emphatic assertion of multi-domain warfare (MDW) capabilities. Operation Sindoor embodies a new strategic normal, redefining the very architecture of national security.

 

A new chapter in deterrence

 

On May 7, 2025, India launched a swift and synchronised operation, targeting nine terrorist sites in Pakistan, followed by escalatory strikes against military assets, including the Nur Khan and Sargodha airbases. This response to the Resistance Front—a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot—attack on tourists in Kashmir was not just about inflicting damage, it was about drawing a line. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation made that explicit: there would be no more differentiation between state and non-state actors when it comes to terrorism. Nuclear blackmail, a staple in Pakistan’s strategic playbook, was decisively brushed aside. The implications were profound. India’s refusal to engage in a prolonged attribution game signalled a shift from evidence-based justification to intent-based legitimacy. The message was clear—persistent state complicity in terrorism is sufficient cause for punitive military action. For the first time since the 2019 Balakot strikes, India operationalised its “Quid Pro Quo Plus” doctrine in full measure—calibrated, precise, and resolute.

 

Multi-domain warfare in action

 

Operation Sindoor was as much a demonstration of political will as of military synergy. The Indian Armed Forces integrated air, land, sea, cyber, and electronic domains into a single continuum of action. SCALP cruise missiles, Harpy and SkyStriker drones, and AI-powered Integrated Air Command and Control Systems (IACCS) were deployed in harmony with GIS mapping, satellite guidance, and India’s own NavIC navigation constellation. This showed that India has embraced the essence of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)—synchronised warfare across multiple axes, conducted at tempo and precision. Strikes on strategic sites deep inside Pakistan’s Punjab, including sensitive airbases, reflected a transition from tactical retaliation to strategic coercion. India signalled its intent not only to punish but also to deter—an evolution from reaction to pre-emption.

 

The China-Pakistan collusion dilemma

 

The Sindoor conflict also reemphasised a reality long apparent to Indian strategists: Pakistan’s military strength is increasingly underwritten by China. From the PL-15 missile-equipped JF-10C and JF-17 fighters to electronic warfare capabilities and satellite support from the Beidou constellation, China’s hand was evident. Future supplies of fifth-generation fighters, KJ-500 AEW&C systems, microwave weapons, and anti-ship ballistic missiles will further enhance Pakistan’s asymmetric toolkit. For India, this collusive threat scenario mandates a doctrinal overhaul. We can no longer afford to view the Northern Front as dormant. China may initiate action along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to ease Pakistani pressure during future Indo-Pak crises. A two-front high-tech war is no longer a hypothetical scenario—it is a planning imperative.

 

Internal-external threat linkages

 

The Pahalgam attack revealed serious gaps in internal surveillance and predictive intelligence. There is an urgent need to invest in AI-driven multi-agency intelligence fusion centres that can anticipate threats before they materialise. As border regions become flashpoints in hybrid warfare, smart fencing, autonomous drones, and sensor grids must replace manual patrols. Moreover, internal stability is as critical as external defence. Urban warfare scenarios—such as those witnessed in Mariupol or Gaza—demand that India prepare its paramilitary and special forces for tunnel combat, robotic reconnaissance, and high-density ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) operations. Civilian preparedness, psychological resilience, and communal harmony are integral components of strategic defence.

 

Information warfare and strategic communication

 

One of the silent yet most potent battlegrounds in Operation Sindoor was the war of perception. India’s professional daily briefings outclassed Pakistan’s disinformation campaigns, countering doctored visuals and fabricated narratives. However, the need for a real-time counter-propaganda mechanism remains pressing. India must institutionalise a Strategic Communication Command tasked with narrative shaping, psychological operations, and coordinated civil-military messaging. In the age of viral videos and AI-generated misinformation, the ability to control the narrative is as decisive as control over terrain. Misplaced jingoism in electronic media, however well-intentioned, can sabotage diplomacy and strategy. A calibrated and responsible communication posture is essential for credibility.

 

Global lessons and India’s strategic trajectory

 

Russia’s hybrid war in Ukraine and Israel’s precision attacks on communication systems in Gaza offer parallel lessons. Proxy warfare, subterranean networks, and drone saturation tactics are now standard tools of asymmetric conflict. Both adversaries and allies are adapting fast—India must do the same. Integrated drone defences, cyber warfare units, real-time ISR fusion, and indigenous weapons development are not luxuries, they are strategic necessities. The Russia–Ukraine theatre has demonstrated that long wars necessitate resilient logistics, innovative ecosystems, and comprehensive civil-military coordination. Ukraine’s use of civilian coding communities and real-time ISR is instructive. India must harness its vast startup and academic potential for battlefield innovation.

 

Diplomacy and strategic autonomy

 

Diplomatic capital was tested during Operation Sindoor. The Trump administration’s unsolicited claims of brokering the ceasefire, combined with false equivalences between India and Pakistan, evoked a firm rebuke from New Delhi. It highlighted the necessity for narrative diplomacy—leveraging forums such as BRICS, G20, and the Quad — to counter narrative warfare and uphold sovereign agency. India’s strategic autonomy must be protected. This requires deeper defence cooperation with friendly democracies, as well as flexible engagement with Russia, Iran, and ASEAN partners. As India ascends to greater geopolitical prominence, coherence in diplomatic messaging and preparedness for foreign mediation attempts will become crucial in maintaining control of the narrative.

 

Whole-of-nation warfare

 

Operation Sindoor shattered the stereotype of bureaucratic inertia in India’s defence preparedness. A true 'whole-of-government' and 'whole-of-nation' approach was visible—civil defence planning, DRDO-industrial support, private sector integration, and political consensus. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, despite potential legal backlash, demonstrated that India is willing to impose strategic costs on adversaries. In the future, India must build on this momentum. Institutional mechanisms like iDEX must bridge the innovation gap, while civil society must be mobilised through emergency preparedness, psychological resilience programs, and dual-use technological training. The modern battlefield extends beyond the military domain—national strength will be judged by how seamlessly all sectors can fuse into the security architecture.

 

Conclusion: Towards strategic deterrence

 

Operation Sindoor was more than an episode in Indo-Pak hostilities. It was a statement of India’s arrival into the era of multi-domain deterrence. As threats become hybrid, wars become increasingly ambiguous, and technology becomes increasingly decisive, India must adapt across all aspects of doctrine, diplomacy, technology, and society. The future will not wait. India's challenge is not just to respond, but to anticipate—to lead the change in how security is defined and deterrence enforced. Sindoor has shown the path. What remains is to walk it with resolve, readiness, and resilience.

 

Maj-Gen B.K. Sharma (Retd) is the Director General, United Service Institution of India.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.

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