SINDOOR TAKEAWAY 2: HYBRID WARFARE IS THE NEW NORMAL

The Conflict Isn’t Just On Land— Disinformation Campaigns, Water Threats, And Cyber Intrusions Are Emerging Frontlines. 

INDIA MUST EXPAND ITS WAR DOCTRINE

1. Build a Unified Strategic Command for Hybrid Threats

India needs more than siloed ministries. It needs a Hybrid Warfare Command—integrating military, intelligence, cyber, water, media, and finance under one strategic roof.

Decentralized execution. Centralized vision.

A single point where RAW, NTRO, DRDO, RBI, MEA, and the Armed Forces align to detect, deter, and retaliate in hybrid domains.

2. Go Proactive on Disinformation

Waiting to “debunk” fake news is losing the battle. India needs an offensive information warfare unit that:

• Identifies hostile narratives in real-time

• Floods the zone with facts, satire, and nationalist storytelling

• Exposes foreign funding behind influencer ecosystems and media proxies

Control the story, or be controlled by one.

3. Weaponize Water Diplomacy

Pakistan is highly vulnerable on water. India doesn't need to violate the Indus Waters Treaty—but it must use it as a lever, not a legacy.

• Fast-track infrastructure on the Eastern rivers

• Publicly signal intent to maximize India’s rights

• Use it as a pressure point when faced with proxy attacks

Water isn't just a resource—it’s geopolitical capital.

4. Create a Cyber Shock Doctrine

Cyber warfare is not a defensive game. India needs:

• A retaliatory cyber doctrine (e.g., response to attacks on power grids or banking systems)

• Partnerships with private cyber firms and ethical hackers

• Integration of cyber cells in national security agencies

A single blackout in Karachi or Chengdu after a cyberattack on Delhi sends the right message.

5. Use Financial Systems as a Weapon

• Target illicit flows to terror networks via stronger FATF enforcement

• Track and block foreign funding to disruptive NGOs and media outlets

• Use trade as a geopolitical weapon (e.g., denying market access, slowing customs clearance)

The rupee can be as sharp as the rifle—if aimed right.

Final Thought

India’s enemy no longer wears a uniform. The battlefield is blurred. The bullet has gone digital, the war cry is a tweet, and the frontlines are your power grid, your water tap, and your WhatsApp feed.

The only way to defeat hybrid warfare is to embrace hybridity in defence, doctrine, and diplomacy.

HOW OPERATION SINDOOR TOOK ON THE CHALLENGE OF HYBRID WARFARE

Operation SINDOOR, launched in response to the brutal killings in Pahalgam, wasn’t just a counter-terrorism effort. It was a template for how India must respond to the shifting realities of hybrid warfare.

In today’s battlefield, the threat isn’t limited to insurgents with guns. It includes:

• Cross-border handlers,

• Disinformation campaigns,

• Social media incitement,

• Financial and logistical ecosystems backing terror.

What Made Operation SINDOOR Different?

1. Precision with Purpose

Operation SINDOOR was surgical, not just in execution but in messaging. It didn’t overextend. It hit where it hurt—fast, focused, and forceful. This broke the usual “event-response-fatigue” cycle that militants often bank on.

Terrorism thrives when the response is slow. SINDOOR killed that rhythm.

2. Intelligence-Led Execution

What set this apart was real-time actionable intelligence. It reflected a level of coordination across agencies—RAW, IB, local police, and military—rarely seen in earlier ops. That’s hybrid warfare thinking: collaborate to dominate.

The battlefield isn’t just terrain—it’s intelligence, timing, and terrain put together.

3. Narrative Control

Operation SINDOOR wasn’t just boots-on-ground. It was perception warfare done right.

• No leaks

• No mixed messaging

• A single, crisp statement: India responds, and it remembers.

In hybrid warfare, controlling the narrative is half the victory.

4. Ripple Effect in Pakistan

The operation reportedly triggered panic across launchpads in PoK. Pakistani handlers went dark, fearing retaliation. That shows SINDOOR succeeded in projecting reach beyond borders—even without crossing them.

Hybrid threats need hybrid deterrents. SINDOOR was India’s answer without an announcement.

CONCLUSION

Operation SINDOOR was more than a mission—it was a message.

That India’s response to asymmetric provocation will no longer be linear, predictable, or delayed.

It’s a prototype for a new doctrine:

• Intelligence-driven

• Multi-agency

• Media-savvy

• Morally justified

• Operationally ruthless

In hybrid warfare, this is how you fight terror—with silence, speed, and strategic finality.

India acknowledged the new reality – paused IWT, ensured IMF financing to Pakistan comes with conditions, countered Pakistan’s social media-based misinformation initiatives, built defensive mechanism to cyber-attacks and stopped the use of Indian airspace by Pakistan;s commercial flights