Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Saturday that Operation Sindoor was “a credible orchestra where every musician played a synergistic role”.
“And so in 22 minutes we destroyed nine terror targets and in 88 hours we could ensure the end of the battle,” Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said while addressing a gathering at the 27th convocation organized by the New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM).
Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Delhi-based Institute of Management, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi also said the military operation reflected “foresight” to anticipate changes as the situation evolved.
It was “a response that was not created in a moment, but over years of imagining how intelligence, precision and technology could converge in action,” the general officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
India launched a military operation early on May 7, decimating multiple terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakistan also launched attacks against India and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.
A military standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbors that lasted nearly 88 hours came to a halt after they reached an agreement on the evening of May 10.
“The movie hasn’t even started”
On November 17, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said, “On Operation Sindoor 1.0, I would say the film has not even started, only the trailer was shown and after 88 hours the trailer ended.”
Speaking at a ceremony organized by the New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM), Gen Dwivedi told the gathering of graduates to lead with “wisdom, humility and strength”.
“So as you step forward today, remember that the world will never stand still, markets will change, technology will evolve and your own ambitions will also change. Yet in this movement lies your greatest strength, the courage to learn, the agility to adapt and the vision to lead with a purpose. Change is not what happens to us, it is what we become through it,” he said.
The general’s speech was themed “Navigating Change: The Real Constant” and touched on aspects of evolving global dynamics, technology as a disruptive force and considerations for the way forward.
“As the 21st century unfolded, the long peace gave way to a contested landscape of competition, strife and conflict. As of today, more than 55 conflicts are raging around the world, directly or indirectly involving more than 100 nations, blurring the lines between peace and conflict,” he said.
And as the battlefields blurred, so did the markets, the army chief said.
“The rise of nationalism, protectionism and sanctions led to the emergence of geoeconomics, a framework formulated by Edward Luttwak, who described it as the logic of war expressed through the grammar of trade,” he pointed out.
“Technology in Military Evolution”
The army chief emphasized the importance of technology in military development.
“Technology has transformed warfare, from muddy trenches to smart grids, rifles to drones, boots to robots, and also revolutionized business, from shampoo bags to Gemini,” he added.
He also emphasized the need for adaptation and what he described as the “velocity of relevance” in the context of change.
“Recognizing an opportunity is one thing, responding to it is another. And that response starts with the courage to embrace change before it forces you to change. When I was drafted into the Army, computers were nowhere in sight in our military. And here I stand today, leading an Army that applies data science and artificial intelligence to modern warfare,” said Gen Dwivedi.
He said the Army’s transformation journey includes restructuring the force for greater agility, deepening linkages with the Navy, Air Force and other areas, accelerating modernization with cutting-edge technology, reforming the human resource system and continuously improving our system processes and functions to increase efficiency and responsiveness.
