PUNE, June 3: India’s Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said Tuesday that professional armed forces are built to withstand temporary setbacks, and stressed that military outcomes and strategic intent matter more than individual losses.
“Losses are not important. What matters is how you act and what the results are,” Gen Chauhan said during an address at Savitribai Phule Pune University, responding to questions on reports of Indian combat aircraft being downed during the early stages of Operation Sindoor.
Rejecting criticism around the operation, he noted that it would be “not very correct” to focus on casualty figures or equipment loss. “Even in the face of setbacks, morale must remain high,” he added.
Gen Chauhan underscored that Pakistan’s long-standing doctrine of “bleeding India by a thousand cuts” met a firm response through Operation Sindoor. The military operation, he said, represented a sharp shift in India’s posture, both strategically and politically.
“In Operation Sindoor too, war and politics happened as parallel phenomena,” he said, noting that India had consciously escalated its stance by drawing a new redline against cross-border terrorism.
Lost Some Aircrafts Over Tactical Mistakes: CDS Gen Chauhan
The CDS also referenced provocative remarks made by Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir ahead of the deadly Pahalgam attack, stating: “He was spewing venom against India and Hindus. What happened in Pahalgam was profound cruelty.”
He said that the thinking behind Operation Sindoor was rooted in the need to end state-sponsored terrorism from across the border. “India is not going to live under the shadow of terror and nuclear blackmail,” Gen Chauhan declared.
On the precision of Indian military strikes, he said some of the targets in Pakistan were narrowed down to as little as two metres, demonstrating a high degree of operational intent and accuracy.
Providing insight into the aftermath of the offensive, Gen Chauhan revealed that while Pakistan had prepared for a 48-hour counter-operation, it ended up seeking talks just eight hours in.
“Around 1 am on May 10, multiple attacks were launched. They thought they’d bring us to our knees in 48 hours. But by morning, they folded and wanted to talk,” he said.
According to him, Pakistan’s request for talks and de-escalation came from the realization that continued operations would only worsen its position. “When the request came, we accepted it,” he confirmed.
Describing India’s broader doctrine shift, the CDS said, “We have raised the bar. We’ve linked terror to water, and we’ve drawn a new military line against terrorism.”
