Lieutenant General Dushyant Singh (retd) on Sunday warned that the Indian armed forces must remain prepared for a future military confrontation, saying “Operation Sindoor 2.0” is inevitable as Pakistan’s military continues to remain fixated on Kashmir with backing from China and Turkiye.

Singh said the ceasefire reached during Operation Sindoor in May remains “fragile” because of repeated violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), underscoring the likelihood of renewed escalation.

Addressing a gathering at the headquarters of the Indian Air Force’s South Western Air Command near Gandhinagar, Singh said India also needs to significantly improve its narrative-building capabilities, identifying it as one of the shortcomings during the military operation.

Singh, Director General of the New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), was delivering the ninth edition of the Late Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (PVC) Annual Memorial Lecture, organised by the Air Force Association, Gujarat Branch.

“Operation Sindoor was not the end, but it was the beginning of new dynamics of escalation management. So, what are the chances of any future conflict with our adversary? The answer is yes. ‘Operation Sindoor 2.0’ is not merely a possibility; it is inevitable. The earlier we prepare for it, the better we are,” Singh said.

He added that the prospects of another such operation remain high as Pakistan’s military remains focused on Kashmir, with strategic support from China and Turkiye.

Singh, however, expressed confidence in the Indian government’s ability to deal with future threats.

"One of the successes of Operation Sindoor was the doctrinal shift. It discarded restraint and exposed Pakistan's weaknesses. For the first time since the 1971 war, a tri-service synergy was achieved. Political clarity translated into military precision, air defence innovation, and surprised global observers," said Singh.

Operation Sindoor was India's swift, targeted military response in May 2025 to a major terrorist attack in Pahalgam, aiming to destroy terrorist infrastructure and launchpads inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Highlighting shortcomings, Singh said India was weak in international narrative management.

"Diplomatic missions were not briefed aggressively, and pro-India lobbies abroad remained under-utilised. Narrative warfare was not fully leveraged. This is a gap we cannot afford in the future," the retired Army officer said.

He noted that Pakistani social media influencers flooded platforms such as TikTok, with amplification support from Chinese social media networks, and even targeted youth audiences in Bangladesh.

Singh also pointed to intense cyber warfare during the four-day operation.

"Cyber attacks on India were heavy during the four days of Operation Sindoor, but our counter-offensive cyber operations were either not clearly articulated or we were not aware of them," he said.

Singh said cyber attacks on government networks had surged sevenfold during the four-day period.

"The power sector witnessed nearly two lakh cyber attacks, while the National Stock Exchange faced around 40 crore cyber attacks. Had any been successful, it could have triggered a financial crisis," he said.

Singh emphasised that modern conflicts extend beyond land, sea and air, underscoring that multi-domain warfare is now a reality.

"We need coordinated information propagation during conflicts. On the information warfare front, Chinese media were deeply engaged in data analysis and crafting messages to amplify India’s fault lines," he said.

He recommended codifying a "national security strategy.

"India needs a well-documented national security strategy. We also need to reform intelligence and internal security, fast-track the integrated theatre command, raise defence spending by 3 per cent of the GDP, excluding pensions, and focus on outcome-based budgeting, not process-driven," the retired officer said.

Singh also called for the creation of dedicated Cyber Warfare and Cognitive Warfare Commands, and stressed the need to overhaul India’s strategic communications.

"We need to mend India's strategic communication for better narrative building. Siloed messaging by agencies such as the MEA and MoD led to delayed rebuttals during the operation, which amplified Pakistan’s narrative. These things are equally important because they affect India's overall image.

"Weak technology integration failed to counter viral claims about Indian jets. We must deploy AI for disinformation tracking and engage the 32 million-strong Indian diaspora as narrative amplifiers," Singh added.

Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd), Director General of the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), spoke about the relevance of air power and the future of the Indian Air Force.

He said Operation Sindoor was a strategic shift from restraint to "deterrence by punishment".

Claiming that Pakistan's aggressive moves against India during the military conflict exposed collusion between China and Pakistan, Golani said China used the conflict to test its weapons.