‘Op Sindoor’ demonstrated India’s smart power: Army Chief

Jammu Tawi, May 19: Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday described Operation Sindoor as a calibrated display of India’s “smart power”, saying the military action combined precision strikes, strategic messaging and diplomatic signalling in a coordinated national response.

Addressing a seminar on “Security to Prosperity: Smart Power for Sustained National Growth” organised by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies here, the Army Chief said the operation demonstrated how military capability can be integrated with wider national objectives.

Recalling the operation carried out on the night of May 6 and 7 last year, he said the Indian armed forces executed a “precise 22-minute operation window” that struck terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“Operation Sindoor delivered military precision, information control, diplomatic signalling and economic resolve as one coherent national act,” Gen Dwivedi said.

He said the operation dismantled terror infrastructure and challenged what he termed a “long-standing strategic assumption”, while the decision to halt the action after 88 hours reflected calculated restraint.

“The deliberate halt after 88 hours was smart power in its most complete expression, knowing exactly which lever to apply and at what intensity,” he said.

Pertinently, ‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched in response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead  and targeted terror camps deep inside Pakistan.

Indian armed forces struck nine terror-linked targets, including locations in Bahawalpur, Muridke and Sialkot in Pakistan, besides camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, using precision-guided munitions in a coordinated tri-services operation.

In his address, General Dwivedi also spoke about changing global security dynamics, saying the world was witnessing “disorder, distrust and dichotomy in alliances”.

“We were promised a world where prosperity would make power politics obsolete. Instead, we now see power politics being used to reorganise prosperity,” he said.

The Army Chief said global defence spending had crossed USD 2.7 trillion, surpassing the estimated budget required for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

He noted that modern conflicts were no longer limited to battlefields and now placed demands on industrial production, research ecosystems and governance mechanisms.

“The boundary between security and prosperity no longer exists,” he said, adding that security should now be viewed as a prerequisite for economic growth and national development.