On the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the three services to emphasise that India remains “steadfast as ever” in its resolve to defeat terrorism and its “enabling ecosystem”.
The military leadership in a separate press briefing assured that India has factored in multi-front security environment in its strategic planning, drawing from deepening military alliance between Pakistan, China and Turkey, which was at display during the four-day conflict following April 22 terror strike at Pahalgam, that had left 26 tourists dead and several injured.
Modi, who changed the display picture on his official X handle to mark Operation Sindoor, said that the precision strike dismantling nine terror camps “highlighted the professionalism, preparedness and coordinated strength of our armed forces” and showcased jointness among forces, and underlined the strength arising out of self-reliance initiatives in defence sector.
“Today, a year later, we remain as steadfast as ever in our resolve to defeat terrorism and destroy its enabling ecosystem,” the PM said.
Eagle eyes on China, its allies
At the tri-services media interaction in Jaipur on the occasion of the first anniversary, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, who served as DGMO during Operation Sindoor, flagged Pakistan and China’s own characterisation of their partnership – one “deeper than the seas, higher than the mountains” - to point out the strategic reality India faces.
“The fact that Pakistan has 80 per cent of its military equipment of Chinese origin is a given,” he said, adding that armed forces are prepared to confront any challenge posed jointly by Turkey, China, and Pakistan.
Director General Naval Operation (DGNO) Vice Admiral AN Pramod not only seconded Lt Gen Ghai’s assertion that 80 per cent of armament Pakistan has is of Chinese origin, but added that India has its eagle eyes on China aiding its all-weather ally.
“In terms of imports, whether it is ships, aircraft or submarines, the best of the platforms are given, and recently you saw that they announced in the next two years, 40-odd J-35s are going, and this is only on the hardware platform,” Vice Admiral Pramod said.
Former Director General Air Operation (DGAO) and current deputy chief of Indian Air Force Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti spoke about the joint testing of missiles by China and Pakistan: “We are continuously doing the environment scan. That’s our job. Whatever requires to be done, we put in motion as to always be ahead of their capabilities, and the dynamics are different between Pakistan and China. But we are continuously factoring in.”
Defence infra
On the multi-layered and integrated air defence system to protect the country’s skies, he said we have already contracted for the S-400 and some units are still to be inducted. Besides, DRDO’s indigenous Kusha project is on and would be available in the future, he added.
Sharing insights into it, Lieutenant General Zubin A Minwalla stated: “We are working towards an integrated and layered architecture to ensure seamless protection against multiple threat vectors to include drones, loiter ammunition and missiles.”
The armed forces are trying for end-to-end architecture for the comprehensive air defence systems. For unified situational awareness, the Indian Army’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the Akashteer battlefield air defence platform have already been networked.
Lt Gen Minwalla stated efforts are now on put together a fully functional Joint Operations Control Centre for improved joint targeting and decision-making.
The top leadership also cleared the fog on certain aspects of war with Pakistan. Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti Indian forces had “destroyed 13 Pakistani aircraft”, adding that the “proof is available for everyone to see.” Noting that over 100 soldiers died in the military face-off, Lt Gen Ghai said, “Inadvertently, their honours and awards list, which was out on the internet, told us that so many of those awards were given posthumously. The numbers that they suffered on the line of control in the exchanges that followed, they (Pakistan) lost more than 100 soldiers. 100 terrorists were killed in those nine terrorist camps.”
Published on May 7, 2026