Steel in The Spine

How ‘Operation Sindoor’ Cemented India’s Rise as a Global Military Superpower

- BY P. MOHAN CHANDRAN

What defines a ‘superpower’ nuclear arsenal or strategic will? What transforms a nation from a regional force to a global pivot? Can a country known for software exports become the next powerhouse of military doctrine, battlefield precision, and indigenous innovation?

India has long been recognised as a rising economic juggernaut. But in the wake of Operation Sindoor, the world now recognizes a new reality: India is a military superpower —not by proclamation, but by performance.

Operation Sindoor: The Moment of Reckoning

In an unprecedented show of tactical brilliance, technological dominance, and battlefield resolve, India neutralised Pakistan's aggression with surgical precision during Operation Sindoor. What began as a terror provocation by Pakistan escalated into a conflict that redefined India’s military posture.

India’s armed forces didn’t just respond. They dismantled.

Chinese-origin ballistic missiles fired by Pakistan were intercepted mid-air by India’s layered missile defense shield, led by the S-400 and Akash systems.

Turkish-manufactured drones were hunted down by India’s domestically produced loitering munitions and electronic warfare units.

And in a decisive move that stunned military observers worldwide, India struck strategic nuclear facilities inside Pakistan, proving it would not shy away from targeting critical infrastructure when national security is at stake.