Indian forces dominated escalation matrix in Operation Sindoor: CDS

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said Indian forces had superior situational awareness and dominated escalation during Operation Sindoor. He stressed clear political-military objectives and warned against prolonged warfare, highlighting India’s precision strikes during the brief conflict with Pakistan

New Delhi: Indian armed forces had superior situational awareness and better battlefield transparency during Operational Sindoor, and “dominated the escalation matrix on all four days” of the conflict, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Thursday.

His remarks, made during an interactive session at the ‘Kalam and Kavach’ defence conclave at the Manekshaw Centre here, came days after the country and the armed forces marked the first anniversary of the military action. “We dominated the escalation matrix on all four days, because we had a superior situational awareness. We knew what we had hit, what was happening,” he said in response to a query during the event.

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The CDS asserted that Indian forces had situational awareness not only on their own side but also across the border, and that “we were able to dominate every ladder of escalation”. Asked how he foresaw future battlefields, given the evolving nature of warfare, dominated by drones and advanced weapons, he warned against getting drawn into prolonged conflicts.

“We should not fall into this trap of long-duration warfare. There is an increased propensity among nations to use force now. But, after you use force to walk out of that… that is a major challenge,” the CDS said.

“Your objectives should be very clear, your politico-military objectives. Once you achieve them, there is no point lingering on. You should have a clearly earmarked exit strategy,” the CDS said.

Operation Sindoor was launched early on May 7 last year to avenge the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor. The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.