Pandey, D.P. <br/><br/>
Operation Sindoor: Air power as enforcer of national will  

 - U.S.I. Journal   
 - 105(642), Oct-Dec, 2025: p.586-596 
<br/><br/> Air power remains the central instrument for enforcing national will in the contemporary security environment, and the same has been illustrated by three high profile 2025 campaigns i.e., Operation Sindoor (India-Pakistan), Operation Rising Lion (Israel-Iran), and Operation Midnight Hammer (United States’ support for Israel). Against recent debates about the primacy of unmanned systems, the timely political will, precise intelligence, and integrated joint operations restored the air force’s primacy through speed, reach, visibility, precision, and escalation control. Focusing on Operation Sindoor, a calibrated four-night Indian air campaign in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the objectives were met through a range of factors that were considered deliberately such as targeting choices, execution, and effects: destruction of terrorist infrastructure and strategic assets, minimal collateral damage, rapid psychological shock to Pakistan’s military and political leadership, effective deterrence, and favourable domestic and international messaging. The five facets of air power utility (decisiveness, precision, deterrence, joint integration, and political signalling), when backed by clear political intent and interoperable capabilities, can achieve tactical, operational, and strategic goals while avoiding a full scale war. As defence reforms are undergoing in the Indian military, continued investment in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, precision munitions, air defence, joint theatre commands, and clear rules of engagement to preserve air power’s role in future limited and strategic conflicts is an imperative.-Reproduced <br/><br/>https://usiofindia.org/pdf/USI_Journal_2025_Oct-De_4.pdf<br/>