WHEN INDIA chose direct action over deterrence

New warfare

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Operation Sindoor marked the arrival of large-scale kinetic, non-contact warfare in the subcontinent, defined by fighting through long-range projectiles rather than troops in close-range combat.

What set the latest conflict apart from the clashes of 2016 and 2019 was that it witnessed at least three military firsts: India’s use of cruise missiles such as the Indo-Russian BrahMos and the European SCALP against Pakistan; Pakistan's use of conventionally armed Fatah-I and Fatah-TI short-range ballistic missiles against India; and the employment of drone warfare by both sides.

The character of the conflict — and the weapons used in it — has already begun influencing decision making.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials, for instance, have indicated that the conflict pointed to the need for India to become a drone superpower — both in quality and quantity — representing a substantial leap from the current situation, in which only a handful of companies are capable of producing military-grade drones.

Three months after the pause, Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day address, announced the launch of India’s planned defence shield system under Mission Sudarshan Chakra. Defence experts broadly expect this system to function as an air and missile defence umbrella. Modi vowed that, by 2035, the country’s national security shield would be expanded, strengthened, and modernised, ensuring that all important sites — both strategic and civilian — are fully protected through new technological platforms. He also emphasised that, alongside the mission, a mechanism will be established to assess future warfare scenarios and devise a “plus-one” strategic response.