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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Did Political Constraints Cause IAF Losses in Operation Sindoor?
Published : Jun 30, 2025 17:29 IST - 5 MINS READ After a statement by General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, in Singapore on June 1 that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost some aircraft in the battle with Pakistan, another armed forces officer has mentioned the loss of aircraft and claimed that this was because of the 'constraints' imposed by the political leadership. This has created enough heat in the country, to the extent that the establishment was forced to issue a clarification, claiming that the officer was misquoted. Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attache in Indonesia, said that the IAF lost jets in the early phase of Operation Sindoor as a result of restrictions imposed by the political leadership. He was making a presentation of the success of Operation Sindoor as part of a worldwide outreach by India, at the Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma, on June 10. The video of this presentation, intriguingly, became public knowledge more than a fortnight later, June 29. The event was titled, 'Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's anticipatory strategies from the perspective of air power'. Also Read | Compellence, not deterrence, is the way forward In the video, Captain Kumar is clearly heard saying: 'We did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership not to attack their military establishment or their air defences.' He was responding to a submission by an earlier speaker that India lost a 'lot of' aircraft. Capt Kumar starts his rebuttal saying: 'I may not agree with him that we lost so many aircraft but I do agree that we did lose some aircraft.' He adds: 'After the losses, we changed tactics and we went for their military installations. So, we first achieved suppression of enemy air defence and destruction of enemy air defence and then that's why all our attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles, BrahMos, surface-to-surface missiles.' On the sidelines of the Singapore Shangri-La Dialogue security forum, General Anil Cahuhan told Bloomberg TV: 'What I can say is, on 7th [May 7] in the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers—that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur. So, we rectified that and then went back on 7th, 8th, and 10th—and on 10th in large numbers to hit air bases in Pakistan. [We] penetrated all their air defences with impunity. We carried out precision strikes.' This issue has since blown over with the Central government refusing to answer questions over the loss of aircraft. In fact, the CDS was viciously targeted on social media by right-wing trolls aligned with the ruling BJP, just as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was, earlier, for evading a question on loss of IAF fighter planes. Political constraints But the second issue is far more important because Captain Kumar refers to the 'political constraint'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had repeatedly said that the armed forces had been given full operational freedom to respond to the Pahalgam attacks. This assertion by Captain Kumar runs contrary to the Prime Minister's statement. Captain Kumar's assertion is in line with the Press Information Bureau press release of May 7, time stamped 1.44 am, which said: 'Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.' But the fact that this was a political quagmire was not lost on the establishment. The Indian Mission in Indonesia put out a statement the same day the video went viral, June 29. This was posted on the social media platform X at 7.02 pm: 'His [The Defence Attache's] remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker. The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory.' Also Read | Operation Sindoor blurred the lines between security and showbiz Describing the political decision as a tactical error, Sanjeev Gupta, former secretary in the Union Home Ministry, said that if there was a conscious decision at the political level not to attack Pakistan's air force establishments on day 1 of Operation Sindoor, there was no harm in admitting it. 'The idea might have been just to focus on terror camps and end it there. In strategic matters, tactical errors can take place. A military attache shouldn't be left to make a startling revelation in an Indonesian university.' Pravin Sawhney, a former Army officer and writer, said on his YouTube channel, Force Magazine: 'Shiv Kumar has revealed the reason which no one knew so an air force is in a battle, the first target is the air defence because the most immediate danger stems from air defence. We call it SEAD—suppression of enemy air defence. If this [air defence] is not taken out you will suffer losses.' Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that this was a 'direct indictment of the Modi government'. He added: 'No wonder they are ducking our demand for a special session of know they have compromised national security, and they have terrified of what the Congress party will expose before the people of India.' In a post on the party said: 'There are several unanswered questions related to the untimely ceasefire – especially when India actually had an upper hand in the escalation.' It demanded that the Prime Minister answer these questions, including why an all-party meeting was not being convened under the PM's leadership and why a special session of Parliament was not convened. The officer's matter-of-fact statement in Indonesia means that more doubts will crop up over the conduct of Operation Sindoor. The opposition is questioning the timing of the ceasefire and wants to know exactly what the US had asked India to do when the country had the upper hand.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
India refutes reports in Indonesia on loss of fighter jets during Operation Sindoor
Jakarta: India has refuted reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar in Indonesia over the fighter jets allegedly lost during Operation Sindoor, saying that the remarks were "taken out of context" and are "misrepresenting the intention and thrust" of the presentation. "We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker," the Indian Embassy in Indonesia said in a statement on Sunday. "The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory," it added. Earlier in May, Reuters released an article citing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan's statement on India's military superiority over Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The CDS admitted during the interview that the Armed Forces had suffered losses in the initial stages of the operation but then struck with impunity at Pakistan's bases. "So what I can say is, on May 7 and the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers and that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that? So we rectified the tactics and then went back on seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity, with scattered opposition strikes," Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by Reuters. India decisively asserted its military superiority over Pakistan during last month's brief but intense conflict, with its aerial strikes penetrating deep into Pakistani territory and delivering pinpoint blows to critical enemy infrastructure such as radar systems, control units, and airbases, a Reuters report citing CDS statement, underlining how New Delhi's military superiority during "Operation Sindoor" forced Islamabad to tuck its tail.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership': Embassy says Defence attaché's remarks on Op Sindoor misrepresented
A controversy has erupted over the remarks by the Indian defence attaché in Indonesia suggesting that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets in the initial phase of Operation Sindoor as it was constrained by the mandate to not attack Pakistani military establishment and only target terrorist infrastructure. As the purported video of the remarks made by Captain Shiv Kumar on June 10 at a gathering surfaced on Sunday (June 29, 2025), the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said the officer only stated the fact that the Indian armed forces serve under political leadership, unlike some other countries in India's neighbourhood. The Indian Navy officer was speaking at a seminar on "Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power" at a university in Jakarta. The opposition Congress on Sunday cited the reported comments of the defence attaché on the loss of aircraft to accuse the government of having "misled" the country. However, the Indian Embassy said in a social media post, "His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker." "The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood," it said. The Embassy said it was explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory. In his presentation, the Indian defence attaché said in view of some "constraints" owing to the mandate decided by the "political leadership", the Indian Air Force could not attack Pakistani military installations in the initial phase operation. "We did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence system," he said. "But after the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations. So we first achieved suppression and destruction of enemy air defence and then that is why all our attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles and Brahmos surface-to-surface missiles," he said. Around a month back, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said in Singapore that India rectified tactics and hit deep inside Pakistani territory after suffering losses of aircraft in the recent military clashes with Pakistan. The Chief of Defence Staff did not specify the losses in terms of a number of platforms. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. After the strikes at the terror infrastructure, India informed Pakistan that it does not want to escalate the situation and the strikes were aimed at terrorist bases. But as Pakistan launched a military retaliation, India responded to it very strongly.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
India refutes reports in Indonesia on loss of fighter jets during Operation Sindoor
Jakarta [Indonesia], June 29 (ANI): India has refuted reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar in Indonesia over the fighter jets allegedly lost during Operation Sindoor, saying that the remarks were 'taken out of context' and are 'misrepresenting the intention and thrust' of the presentation. 'We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' the Indian Embassy in Indonesia said in a statement on Sunday. 'The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory,' it added. Earlier in May, Reuters released an article citing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan's statement on India's military superiority over Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The CDS admitted during the interview that the Armed Forces had suffered losses in the initial stages of the operation but then struck with impunity at Pakistan's bases. 'So what I can say is, on May 7 and the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers and that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that? So we rectified the tactics and then went back on seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity, with scattered opposition strikes,' Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by Reuters. India decisively asserted its military superiority over Pakistan during last month's brief but intense conflict, with its aerial strikes penetrating deep into Pakistani territory and delivering pinpoint blows to critical enemy infrastructure such as radar systems, control units, and airbases, a Reuters report citing CDS statement, underlining how New Delhi's military superiority during 'Operation Sindoor' forced Islamabad to tuck its tail. During Operation Sindoor, India demonstrated that large-scale counter-terror operations could be carried out with surgical precision, even against a nuclear-armed adversary, without triggering significant escalation. (ANI)
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
India refutes reports in Indonesia on loss of fighter jets during Operation Sindoor
India dismissed reports about a Defence Attache's presentation in Indonesia concerning fighter jets lost during Operation Sindoor. The Indian Embassy stated the remarks were misinterpreted. The presentation highlighted the Indian Armed Forces' subordination to civilian leadership. It emphasized Operation Sindoor's objective was to target terrorist infrastructure. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker. The presentation... - India in Indonesia (@IndianEmbJkt) June 29, 2025 Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Jakarta: India has refuted reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar in Indonesia over the fighter jets allegedly lost during Operation Sindoor , saying that the remarks were "taken out of context" and are "misrepresenting the intention and thrust" of the presentation."We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker," the Indian Embassy in Indonesia said in a statement on Sunday."The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory," it in May, Reuters released an article citing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan's statement on India's military superiority over Pakistan during Operation CDS admitted during the interview that the Armed Forces had suffered losses in the initial stages of the operation but then struck with impunity at Pakistan's bases."So what I can say is, on May 7 and the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers and that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that? So we rectified the tactics and then went back on seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity, with scattered opposition strikes," Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by decisively asserted its military superiority over Pakistan during last month's brief but intense conflict, with its aerial strikes penetrating deep into Pakistterritory and delivering pinpoint blows to critical enemy infrastructure such as radar systems, control units, and airbases, a Reuters report citing CDS statement, underlining how New Delhi's military superiority during "Operation Sindoor" forced Islamabad to tuck its Operation Sindoor, India demonstrated that large-scale counter-terror operations could be carried out with surgical precision, even against a nuclear-armed adversary, without triggering significant escalation.
