“Non-contact warfare is gaining relevance in future wars. That is not to say that the man on the ground…With a rifle in his hand will no longer remain relevant. They will remain relevant all through the ages. Non-contact warfare will help us in gaining advantage over the adversary in future. Therefore, it is important to understand the context in which we need to move forward in this direction. quantum technology, cyber space and above all artificial intelligence, all these need to be leveraged,” – General Bipin Rawat, while delivering the address on ‘Technologies for Non-Contact Warfare’, at ARTECH seminar organised at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment on December 23, 2019
As per the expectation, Bharat, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave a befitting reply to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in the form of Operation Sindoor. Since 1947, Pakistan has been using proxy war through terrorism rooted in the ideology of Islamic radicalism as an instrument of foreign policy. The Pakistan army, which is incapable of fighting a direct war, has created a terror infrastructure to keep hold of power and sustain the exclusionary form of Islamic nationalism. The attempt to target military establishments and civilians in the bordering areas is a clear sign of desperation from the Pakistani side, which is leading to inevitable escalation. Still, Operation Sindoor should be understood as a significant shift in Bharat’s response to the continued policy of waging war through terrorism.
The name ‘Sindoor’ and its symbolic importance have been discussed extensively. Women, many of them newlywed, were suddenly widowed by the inhuman terror attack. Avenging their unbearable grief and irreparable loss with a precise strike on terror training camps has a tremendous emotional and psychological value. In South Asia, Sindoor – vermilion – applied by married women on the forehead or the partition has a cultural significance. By touching that cultural symbol, Pak-sponsored terrorists have crossed the line, and hence, the naming of the military operation has a cultural message.
The second part of Operation Sindoor goes beyond symbolism and is more strategic. The concept of the Integrated Defence Staff could be tested for the first time. Operation Sindoor was a coordinated tri-service missile strike on the precise targets by the Indian Army, Air Force & Navy. The weapons used in the operation include cruise missiles and standoff Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) to engage the targets from a safe distance. As the full-scale escalation is building with Pakistan’s attempted retaliation, our integrated command and control system, which is one of the most significant reforms that took place under the Modi regime, is put to the test. The execution of various stages of Operation Sindoor is exemplary and shows the integration and coordination evolving in Bharat’s inter- service jointness.
The way we have gathered intelligence and used technology to strike well within the territory of Pakistan without crossing the line is another vital departure from the previous surgical operations. Earlier, army personnel and fighter jets made surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu-Kashmir, which is an integral part of Bharat. The latest operation has hit the Punjab region, where the real training and harbouring of terrorism by the Pakistani military takes place. We have hit where it hurts the most without crossing the borders. The vision of non-contact warfare envisaged by the first CDS General Bipin Rawat has been realised through this operation.
The way Bharat has garnered international support in this operation is also unprecedented. Across the continents, there is an open condemnation of terrorism, if not in Pakistan. Bharat’s right to defend the territorial sovereignty and security of the people has been established and recognised by all. Till now, Pakistan has employed the stability- instability paradox through a proxy war, incurring low-cost and high results for its objective of giving a thousand cuts through Islamic terrorism. The surgical strikes after Pulwama and Balakot air strikes created temporary deterrence, but Pakistan always used the bluff of nuclear deterrence to galvanise international opinion. Bharat has redefined conventional deterrence through precision strikes. The deterrence based on non-contact warfare, assured attrition, and an unconventional surprise element has opened up a new way of waging conflict against the terror- promoting Pakistan — technology and atma-nirbharata play a central role in this process of defence preparedness.
The Operation Sindoor, with coordinated decisions, precision strikes and meticulous execution while remaining proportionate in response, is the new standard Bharat has set for the military strategy. The symbolic and strategic dimensions of this new war strategy by resurgent Bharat should be celebrated and continued with a collective national will till the ultimate objective of dismantling terrorism infrastructure and mindset is fully achieved.
