"Every time, you have to think of new strategy": Former CDS Gen Anil Chauhan on evolving military tactics from Uri to Op Sindoor

Speaking at the 'VIMARSH' event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekananda International Foundation on Tuesday, Gen Chauhan cautioned against relying on predictable methods during force application.

Stressing the imperative of tactical evolution, former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan underscored that military forces must continuously adapt their strategies to preserve the element of surprise and ensure operational success. Speaking at the 'VIMARSH' event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekananda International Foundation on Tuesday, Gen Chauhan cautioned against relying on predictable methods during force application.

"In fact, whenever you are exercising any option, if you repeat the strategy time and again, the chances of success will be slim. Every time, you will have to think of a new strategy," Gen Chauhan said. "Uri was different. We never expected it. Balakot was different. It was not in J&K; it was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindoor was entirely different from what we had done. So, you have to have a new strategy always. You can't repeat an old strategy because the chances of success of the strategy you will not have." Highlighting India's evolving responses to cross-border terrorism, he detailed how distinct domains were leveraged across major military actions: the Uri attack response utilised land-based surgical strikes; the Pulwama response (Balakot) employed the air domain using large-force engagements involving over 40 aircraft.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, following the April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives; this operation exploited lower airspace to target terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK. "Options, when we say force application, you all know after the Uri terror attack, there were surgical strikes there. Then we went by the land route. Thereafter, after Pulwama, we used the air route, with large force engagements, almost about 40+ aircraft," General Chauhan said.

"Sindoor, we decided to use a third option, that is, exploit the lower airspace. That means it would have kept the threshold of conflict low, it would have assured success, and then there would have been an element of surprise," he added. Gen Chauhan noted that exploiting lower airspace during Operation Sindoor served a deliberate strategic purpose: "It would have kept the threshold of conflict low, it would have assured success, and then there would have been an element of surprise."

Addressing the realities of defence readiness, the former CDS observed that no military remains completely immune to operational gaps. "No military, I would say, is 100 per cent prepared, 100 per cent of the time. There have always been deficiencies in all armed forces. Your assessment of the enemy will never be completed. It's an ongoing kind of process," he noted. He praised the unified front presented by the armed forces during Operation Sindoor, emphasising that service chiefs refrained from presenting operational shortcomings to the political leadership in a manner that could stall decision-making. Instead, the military leadership assured the government of its readiness to execute sustained operations for as long as required.

"But we had seen in the past, sometimes in front of the political leadership, people bring out the deficiencies which they have. This particular operation stands out in a particular manner, in which all three services and myself, right from day 1, didn't bring any of this kind of deficiencies," General Chauhan said. "We continued to tell the government, whatever decision they take, we should be able to carry out the operation for 1, 2 or several days," he added. (ANI)