Forces Worked In Complete Synergy During Op Sindoor: Air Force Ex-Chief To NDTV

Operation Sindoor was an example of all three armed forces working in "complete synergy", former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari has said.

Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit on Saturday, the former IAF chief was asked about the coordination and communication between the three armed forces, the Army, Air Force and Navy - which has been a common complaint in the past - during the key operation. 

The former Air Chief Marshal emphasised that there was no lack of coordination between the forces and all of them worked jointly towards achieving the strategic objectives. 

"What we witnessed was complete synergy and a complete understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses. The effort that came out finally was a joint effort from all the three services and, of course, the higher defence organisation of the country. So there is no doubt, in my mind at least, that there was no lack of coordination or synergy between the armed forces," he said. 

The former Air Chief Marshal was part of a panel with former Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande and former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash and all three officers agreed that Operation Sindoor had been carried out with precision and had achieved its objectives. 

Earlier in the day, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari had said that fewer than 50 weapons were fired by the Indian Air Force during the Operation and that was enough to get Pakistan to ask for a ceasefire. 

"The key takeaway for us (was) that in less than 50 weapons, we were able to achieve conflict elimination. So this is the essential part which I want you to take away... It is very easy to start a war, but not easy enough to end it. And that was an important consideration to keep in mind so that our forces were activated, they were deployed, and they were ready for any eventuality that would have come about," he said.

Operation Sindoor was India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April. In the early hours of May 7, India struck terror bases in at least nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur.

Pakistan responded by attempting to attack Indian military installations and civilian locations by launching drones and missiles on three successive days, but was thwarted by India's air defence systems. India, in turn, first took out some of Pakistan's air defence systems, including in Lahore, and then struck key military bases like the all-important Nur Khan airbase, also known as the Chaklala airbase.

Pakistan then sought a ceasefire and India agreed to a pause in hostilities. India has made it clear, however, that it will respond decisively to any terror attack which has its origins in Pakistan.