Op Sindoor has shown traditional war concepts irrelevant: Air Marshal 

A top Indian military commander has said Operation Sindoor has shown warfare has changed. Long-range missiles hitting targets with pin-point accuracy means traditional concepts of war have become ‘irrelevant’.

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Speaking at a seminar, ‘Surveillance and Electro-optics’, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff – a tri-services organisation, said: “Op Sindoor has reinforced what military strategists have understood, but perhaps not fully appreciated until now. When weapons can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away with pinpoint accuracy, the traditional concepts of front, rear and flanks, combat zones and depth areas all become irrelevant."

India, he said, must detect, identify and track potential threats at an early stage. Detection should be done when the enemy is about to launch. The path ahead demands continued investment, sustained innovation and above all, collaboration across all stakeholders.

Air Marshal Dixit said the domain of surveillance has evolved from being merely a force multiplier to becoming the very foundation upon which modern military operations rest. He said deep surveillance is needed in contemporary warfare.

The seminar was co-hosted by the think-tank Centre For Air Power Studies (CAPS). Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (Retd), the Director General of CAPS, said surveillance for military operations encompasses a broad spectrum of activities aimed at gathering, monitoring and analysing information to enhance situational awareness and support decision-making. 

In terms of the importance of electro-optics in support of military operations, AVM Golani emphasised how it is altering the armed forces conduct of surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting and threat detection. The integration of surveillance platforms has become increasingly critical in warfare scenarios.