What Operation Sindoor revealed about how India plans to fight

Operation Sindoor, the most definitive military strike on Pakistan in more than five decades to punish it for sponsoring terrorism, dominated India’s security discourse in 2025 and laid down new red lines on how the country would respond to terrorist attacks on its soil. The hard lessons drawn from the circumstances that led to cross-border tensions — the state of preparedness in the run-up and the conduct of combat operations — are now set to shape national security choices in 2026. A look at the year gone by, and how it marked a significant shift in military thinking and preparedness for the future.