India Foundation, in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre, organised the book launch and discussion on the book ‘Operation Sindoor: 88 Hours That Redefined Deterrence’, by Major General Dhruv Katoch, Director, India Habitat Centre and Lieutenant General Raj Shukla, Member, UPSC, on 6 May 2026 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Gen NC Vij, Former Chief of the Army Staff, officially launched the book. Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, Former Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command of India and Dr Shalini Chawla, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS), discussed the book with the authors. The session was moderated by Captain Alok Bansal, Executive Vice President, India Foundation.
The panel deliberated on the 88-hour military offensive in May 2025 when India attacked Pakistani air bases in retaliation against decades of state-sponsored terrorism and radicalism. It was highlighted that this operation was a significant departure from past hesitations, demonstrating a combination of political resolve and military capability that effectively challenged the opponents, effectively countering their notorious nuclear bluff. The panelists characterised the operation not as a singular event, but as the beginning of a sustained policy of compellence, signalling that the costs of hostility would now be made prohibitive.
The panel highlighted that ‘Operation Sindoor’ effectively ended India’s era of ‘Strategic Patience’, and the ‘phase of cost imposition’ was brought into action by using this move. It was pertinent to mention here that in this particular operation, the aim was to strike at the very nerve of the adversary’s assets because in order to send the message across that ‘threshold of pain’ for this country will not be as same in the coming time, it was imperative to attack the very assets of the adversary that would make it think twice before any future attempts on our nation.
The panelists highlighted the geostrategic and psychological changes triggered by the situation, discussing the evolving nature of modern warfare. They pointed out that India is entering an era of “military renaissance” where traditional platforms are being replaced by data-driven and autonomous systems. The panel noted a shift from a slow bureaucratic procurement model to one that prioritises business agility and the integration of the private sector and startups. They suggested that there should be an effort made toward institutionalisation in creating narratives so that the nation’s strategic communications are as vigorous and potent as the kinetic operations.
The discussion concluded with the note that the legacy of ‘Operation Sindoor’ lies in the psychological dominance India now holds, having forced the adversary to recalculate the risks of its proxy war strategy. To maintain this edge, the panel called for a continuous evolution of ‘Intellectual Infrastructure’ within the security establishment to anticipate future shifts in the geostrategic landscape, ensuring that the ‘whole of nation’ response remains proactive.
