Defence review 2025: Operation Sindoor showcases India's military resolve, precision and self-reliance

New Delhi: In its Year-End Review for 2025, the Ministry of Defence highlighted Operation Sindoor as a landmark military operation that underlined India's firm resolve against terrorism, technological self-reliance, and robust tri-service coordination.

Operation Sindoor was launched on the intervening night of May 06 and 07, 2025, in response to a heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent people, including a Nepali citizen. In a well-coordinated and precise operation, the Indian Armed Forces carried out strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing over 100 terrorists, along with their trainers, handlers and associates. Most of those eliminated belonged to terror outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The Defence Ministry stated that the operation inflicted maximum damage on terrorist infrastructure while ensuring minimum harm to the civilian population. Addressing Parliament on July 28 and 29, 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the action was carried out purely in self-defence and was neither provocative nor expansionist.


The year-ender further noted that on May 10, 2025, at around 1:30 am, Pakistan launched a massive attack on Indian Air Force bases, Army ammunition depots, airports and military cantonments using missiles, drones, rockets and other long-range weapons, along with electronic warfare technologies. India's Air Defence System, Counter-Drone systems and electronic equipment successfully thwarted the attack, with the adversary failing to hit any targets and no vital assets sustaining damage.

India's response to the Pakistattack was described as bold, decisive and effective. The Indian Air Force targeted Pakistani airbases, command and control centres, military infrastructure and air defence systems on the Western Front. Key airbases, including Chaklala, Sargodha, Rafiqui, Rahimyar Khan, Jacobabad, Sukkur and Bholari were struck, and the mission was successfully accomplished.

On May 10, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted India's DGMO, seeking a halt to military operations. This was followed by formal DGMO-level talks on May 12, during which both sides decided to cease military operations.

The Defence Ministry said Operation Sindoor marked a major milestone in India's journey towards technological self-reliance, particularly in drone warfare, layered air defence and electronic warfare. It was also cited as a shining example of tri-service coordination. While the Indian Air Force carried out aerial strikes, the Army remained firmly deployed along the Line of Control, responding effectively to Pakistani actions, and the Indian Navy maintained a strong posture in the North Arabian Sea, signalling India's readiness to strike vital targets from sea to land.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that Operation Sindoor has only been halted, not ended, and warned that if Pakistan attempts any further nefarious actions, India is fully prepared for an even more intense and decisive response, the year-end review said.