Operation Sindoor was multi-domain, non-contact warfare: CDS Chauhan

CDS Gen Anil Chauhan called Operation Sindoor a multi-domain, non-contact operation using new tech like space and cyber. He said it was unprecedented and required huge coordination. He also spoke on India's 2047 goal and his post-retirement plans.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Saturday said Operation Sindoor was different from all the past conflicts as it was a kind of multi-domain operation, largely non-contact warfare, involved newer technologies like space and cyber and required a huge amount of coordination not only among the three wings of the services, but also with other instruments of the government and various agencies.

Speaking at Sena Samvad event here, CDS Gen Chauhan said Operation Sindoor was a very well-coordinated operation. "It is still ongoing, so I will say it is different from all the past conflicts we may have fought. For the first time, this was a kind of multi-domain operation. That means we operated in all three domains in a coordinated manner. It was largely non-contact warfare. It involved newer technologies like space and cyber. Although the operation may have lasted only for 88 hours, it required a huge amount of coordination not only among the three wings of the services, but also with other instruments of the government and various agencies," he said. "It was a very well-coordinated operation.... Even the metrics of victory were different...Imagine something landing accurately in this room from 300 or 400 kilometres away. That was unprecedented in our geography. So that is why this particular operation was entirely different," he added.

'Sincerity will help country achieve 2047 goal'

Answering a query, he said India aspires to be a developed nation by 2047 and doing a job with sincerity will contribute to the endeavor. "So whatever path you choose, there should be happiness in whatever you do. If you do it with sincerity, I think that's going to help the country achieve its goal. So your goals, and somehow if countries get aligned together, that will give you a great amount of satisfaction, and the country will also benefit," he said.

CDS on post-retirement plans

CDS Gen Chauhan, who will complete his tenure later this month, also talked about his post-retirement plans. "Obviously, I've accumulated a lot of experience, though it is confined primarily to the domains of security and defence. What I have learned in the past three and a half years has been entirely different from earlier leadership. Because till now, it was only till the chiefs, whereas the CDS's responsibility is slightly more than that. So it's a new thing which we have learned. We want to streamline this system and get benefits out of it. So probably we'll be able to teach the newer lot of officers who will be assuming the senior appointments in future. Take them along," he said.

Recalling years in the Army

CDS Gen Chauhan recalled his years in the Army. "I'll give two, three instances that still give me joy and happiness. I commanded the 59th Brigade, which is in the Senapati district, Manipur, and the 19th in Baramulla. Both these places are affected by insurgency. And that's a people-centred conflict where human geography plays an important part. So even after I've left those places 15 or 20 years ago, people still remember me, and they ring me up. I went to Baramulla once again to connect with those people. I couldn't go to this place, Senapati. That was my desire. Second happiness is that I was able to resettle two villages, Nelang and Jadung," he said.

About Operation Sindoor

India targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in Operation Sindoor, which was launched in May last year in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Following escalation by Pakistan, India pounded its airbases. (ANI)

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