While it is too early to draw operational and tactical lessons from Operation Sindoor, it may be possible to look at the big picture and draw positive lessons for future national security contingencies. This article seeks to throw light on four critical aspects of the operation: Planning and preparation, execution, escalation control and narrative building.

There was a tight centralised model during the planning and preparation phase of the operation, stewarded by the troika of the Prime Minister, the National Security Advisor and the Raksha Mantri. This was backed by the second tier comprising the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs. Clear and cogent strategic outcomes were conveyed to the service chiefs and intelligence agencies, leaving them to chart out the modalities of the operation.

The 15-day interlude between the Pahalgam massacre and Op Sindoor gave enough time to tweak operational plans, even while Indian diplomacy and other non-kinetic measures, such as the abrogation of the Indus Waters Treaty, increased Pakistan’s worries. The secrecy of the plans was maintained at the strategic level, despite the attention they received from several quarters.

The choice of the IAF as the first and principal responder, and the reliance on stand-off weapons such as the indigenously-produced BrahMos missile and several loitering munitions, signalled a newfound confidence in taking forward the philosophy of non-contact warfare that began with the

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