India’s Chief of Army Staff  General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday shared key lessons learned from Operation Sindoor, the military operation against Pakistan-based terrorists. He said the operation showcased the capabilities of India’s armed forces and sent a strong message to the hostile neighbour.

“Operation Sindoor was just a trailer which ended in 88 hours. We are prepared for any circumstances in future. If Pakistan gives a chance, we will teach it how to behave responsibly with a neighbouring nation,” General Dwivedi said at the Chanakya Defence Dialogues event in New Delhi.

Lessons Learnt from the Operation

General Dwivedi underlined three main lessons from Operation Sindoor. First, he stressed integration between the forces. Second, he highlighted the importance of adequate supplies for extended battles. Third, he emphasized timely decision-making at every level of the command chain.

“Whenever some operation happens, we learn from it. This time too, we learned things. One of the things we learned was that we have very little time to take decisions, and we must take them at every level on time,” he explained.

He stressed that modern battles are multi-domain, meaning the army alone cannot fight them. “Just the army cannot fight a battle. Everyone has to fight together,” he said, mentioning the air force and navy.

Dwivedi also spoke about preparing for battles of unknown duration. “We cannot predict how long a battle will last. This time we fought for 88 hours. Next time it could be four months or even four years. We must check if we have enough supplies and weapons. If not, we need to prepare,” he added.

Setting a New Normal

Discussing India’s response to terrorism, Dwivedi referred to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. He said, “When a country encourages state-sponsored terrorism, it becomes a matter of concern for India. India talks about progress. If someone creates obstacles in our course, then we will have to take action. When we talk about the new normal, we have said that talks and terror can't go together.”

He added, “All we are asking is to adopt a peaceful process, which we will cooperate with. Until then, we will treat terrorists and their sponsors alike.”

Security Situation in Jammu and Kashmir

General Dwivedi also highlighted the improved security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He said terrorist incidents have declined after the abrogation of Article 370. “After this, political clarity has come,” he said.

Article 370 had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The state was later split into two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.