Operation Sindoor has transformed military strategy and reinforced India’s firm stance against cross-border terrorism. Experts hail it as a landmark operation that highlighted India’s military capability, technological edge, and resolute determination. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India conducted precise strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on 7 May. These operations compelled Islamabad to seek a ceasefire after its escalation attempts failed. By effectively neutralising Pakistani airbases, India signaled zero tolerance for terrorism, marking a strategic shift from surgical strikes to a doctrine of assured kinetic retaliation. Retired Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, an authority in counter-insurgency, noted that modern warfare increasingly relies on air defence as a primary instrument of power.

Despite changing regional dynamics—including unrest in Nepal, developments in Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus, and closer India-Afghanistan ties—Pakistan continues to support terrorism. Dhillon attributed the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan’s internal crises, including political paralysis, military corruption, economic collapse, and diplomatic failures. He warned that India, now the world’s fourth-largest economy and a military powerhouse, would respond even more decisively in any future “Operation Sindoor 2.0,” encompassing military, economic, political, and diplomatic measures.

Operation Sindoor set global precedents by engaging two nuclear powers without ground incursions. Unlike the 1971 war, which involved territorial capture and 93,000 prisoners, this operation avoided crossing the Line of Control or international borders. India’s air defences neutralized Chinese radars, aircraft, missiles, drones, F-16s, and AWACS, signaling a new era of warfare dominated by air, electronic, cyber, and space capabilities. Future conflicts are expected to target critical infrastructure—airlines, railways, power grids, and banks—while kinetic, cyber, and space operations converge in rapid, precise strikes.

Narrative warfare on social media and traditional platforms will complement kinetic operations. Dhillon emphasized the need for a centralized Integrated Information Centre to manage perception transparently. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of targeting terrorists, their organizations, and sponsoring states alike underscores India’s unified national interest.

India’s operations exemplify surgical precision and minimal collateral damage, setting high ethical standards for counter-terrorism. Precision weapon selection reflects moral responsibility. Former High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria described Operation Sindoor as the most intense India-Pakistan confrontation of the 21st century. It showcased India’s conventional and technological superiority through drones, loitering munitions, electronic warfare, and layered air defences under the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), strengthened by indigenous capabilities and global partnerships. Cross-border terrorism is now treated as an act of war, demanding a forceful response beyond diplomacy.

This approach reflects “Integrated Deterrence,” combining military readiness, diplomatic pre-emption, economic leverage, and information dominance. Linking the Pahalgam attack to the retaliatory strikes demonstrated a predictable kinetic response, evolving from restraint to assured action. Bisaria traced this doctrine’s evolution: pre-2008 reliance on diplomacy and internal security, 2016 surgical strikes, 2019 Balakot airstrikes, culminating in 2025’s doctrinal shift.

India maintains deterrence while controlling escalation, targeting only terror sites amid global conflicts such as those in West Asia and Ukraine. This shift from victim to responder in nuclear South Asia has global implications, emphasizing the need for robust international media engagement to counter disinformation. Operation Sindoor decisively punished Pakistan’s proxy war, reaffirming India’s capability, resolve, moral authority, and strategic maturity. It also highlighted India’s focus on indigenous defence, with defence exports rising to ₹23,500 crore, enhancing self-reliance and strategic autonomy.