Beyond Operation Sindoor: Prepare for India's Next Multi-Domain War

"It is the mind that wins wars, not just the sword." Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, following the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, marked more than just a forceful military response.

- Maj Gen BK Sharma (Retd) New Delhi

"It is the mind that wins wars, not just the sword." Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, following the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, marked more than just a forceful military response. It was a watershed moment in our evolving counter-terror doctrine. What set it apart was not just the scale or precision of the strikes, but a fundamental shift in strategic thinking. By combining calibrated kinetic operations against terrorist hideouts and Pakistani military infrastructure with non-kinetic actions like the suspension of Indus Waters Treaty provisions, India redefined its response threshold. For the first time, we set aside the convenient fiction separating state and non-state actors. The old hesitation rooted in nuclear blackmail no longer held sway. What emerged was the architecture of a new doctrine—one built around dynamic responsiveness, technological edge, political resolve, and narrative control.

This evolution was not occurring in isolation. Just weeks later, on June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion. This audacious strike eliminated senior Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, and disabled critical air defenses and enrichment facilities at Natanz and Isfahan. It didn't involve boots on the ground; instead, it relied on stealth, deception, and precision—a lethal combination of pre-positioned drones, deep intelligence gathered through Mossad agents, and autonomous technology. The lesson was clear: in today's battlespace, the most decisive blows often come from the shadows.