New Delhi: India’s measured and precise military strikes on terror dens inside Pakistan as well as Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), as part of ‘Operation Sindoor’ have received praise from John W Spencer, a globally-acclaimed urban warfare researcher, who described it as a “massive victory for India.”
John Spencer is a researcher of urban warfare and serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute.
Sharing his observations, takeaways and impact of ‘Operation Sindoor’, he said that unlike previous attacks, this time India didn’t wait, it didn’t appeal for international mediation or issue a diplomatic demarche, rather launched warplanes on the terror infrastructure that was responsible for the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam.
He said that India achieved massive victory within just four days of calibrated military action and also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the measured and targeted response to Pakistan’s terror antics.
“Operation Sindoor was not about occupation or regime change. It was a limited war executed for specific objectives. India was not fighting for vengeance. It was fighting for deterrence. And it worked,” he penned in an article on India-Pakistan military escalation.
“The India of 2008 absorbed attacks and waited. This India hits back — immediately, precisely, and with clarity,” he said, reflecting on the common global perception about New Delhi.
Dubbing ‘Operation Sindoor’ as a decisive victory in modern warfare, Spencer wrote on X, “After just four days of calibrated military action, it is objectively conclusive: India achieved a massive victory. ‘Operation Sindoor’ met and exceeded its strategic aims — destroying terrorist infrastructure, demonstrating military superiority, restoring deterrence, and unveiling a new national security doctrine. This was not symbolic force. It was decisive power, clearly applied.”
Spencer further stated, “The ‘Operation Sindoor’ was not about occupation or regime change. It was a limited war executed for specific objectives. Critics who argue India should have gone further miss the point. Strategic success isn’t about the scale of destruction — it’s about achieving the desired political effect.”
Explaining why ‘Operation Sindoor’ stands out in modern warfare, he said, “The use of force in ‘Operation Sindoor’ was overwhelming yet controlled — precise, decisive, and without hesitation. That kind of clarity is rare in modern war. ‘Operation Sindoor’ offers a model of limited war with clearly defined ends, matched ways and means, and a state that never relinquished the initiative.”
(IANS)
