India Struck Hard, Stayed in Control: Ladwig on Sindoor

Dr Walter C. Ladwig III analyses Operation Sindoor and its impact on regional deterrence dynamics.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

In an exclusive interaction with The Sunday Guardian, leading South Asia security expert Dr Walter C. Ladwig III offered an incisive assessment of Operation Sindoor, India's limited but impactful military campaign launched in the wake of the April Pahalgam attack.

Dismissing suggestions that India halted the operation prematurely, Ladwig framed the decision as a deliberate exercise in strategic restraint—one that demonstrated India's ability to deliver calibrated military responses without escalating into full-scale conflict.

Ladwig, who is a senior Lecturer in International Relations at King's College London and an Associate Fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the world's oldest and the UK's leading defence and security think tank noted that Operation Sindoor may well reshape assumptions about limited war between nuclear-armed adversaries.

Q: Many believe India halted Operation Sindoor too soon, despite having the upper hand. What is your view?

A: As I understand it, the primary objective of Operation Sindoor was not to provoke a general conflict with Pakistan, but to degrade terrorist infrastructure linked to the Pahalgam attack. From that standpoint, the Indian military executed its orders with precision—striking key targets with a measured scope and avoiding broader escalation.

While there were subsequent rounds of reciprocal strikes on military infrastructure, these appear to have been limited in scale and calibrated by both sides. The decision to conclude the operation once core objectives were met reflects strategic discipline, not missed opportunity. India demonstrated both capability and resolve, but without escalating the crisis beyond what was required to reestablish deterrence.