SOURCE: AFI
On May 30, 2025, US military expert John Spencer, a retired US Army officer and chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, declared India the victor in a technological and military confrontation with Pakistan, describing the latter as a “proxy” for China. This assessment followed India’s Operation Sindoor, a meticulously executed military campaign launched in response to the April 22, 2025, terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives. The operation, which combined precision airstrikes, indigenous weaponry, and strategic restraint, has been hailed as a turning point in India’s defense doctrine, showcasing its growing self-reliance and technological superiority.
The Pahalgam attack, attributed to The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot, prompted an unprecedented response from India. Unlike previous incidents where diplomatic channels were prioritized, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, targeting terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan. Over four days, Indian forces conducted nine deep-penetration strikes, neutralized Pakistani drone swarms, and hit six military airbases and UAV command hubs. The operation culminated in the destruction of terror camps, with reports indicating at least 70 terrorists, including 10 family members and four aides of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, were eliminated.
India’s response was not merely retaliatory but a strategic demonstration of its military and technological capabilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated a new national security doctrine, stating, “Terror and talks can’t go together. Water and blood can’t flow together.” This stance was reinforced by India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan verifiably ceases support for cross-border terrorism, signaling a hardline approach to state-backed terror.
Central to India’s success was its deployment of indigenously developed weapons systems, a product of the Modi government’s “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives. John Spencer highlighted the superiority of India’s homegrown arsenal over Chinese-supplied platforms used by Pakistan. Key systems included the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (developed with Russian collaboration), the fully indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile, the Akashteer missile defense system, the Rudram anti-radiation missile, and the D4S counter-UAV system. These outperformed Pakistan’s Chinese-built HQ-9, HQ-16, LY-80, and FM-90 air defense systems, as well as CH-4 drones, which Spencer described as “built for export, not for excellence.”
India’s T-72 tanks, Su-30MKI fighters, and French-built Rafale jets provided additional firepower, ensuring airspace control and enabling precise strike packages. The operation also showcased India’s advancements in drone warfare, with systems like the SkyStriker and Harop loitering munitions proving effective against Pakistani defenses. This technological edge underscored a stark asymmetry in capabilities, with Pakistan’s reliance on Chinese hardware exposing strategic vulnerabilities.
Spencer’s characterization of Pakistan as a “proxy” for China highlights the broader geopolitical context. Pakistan’s military modernization, including its pursuit of battlefield nuclear weapons, is heavily supported by China, its primary defense partner. A US intelligence report from May 2025 noted that Pakistan procures weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-applicable goods primarily from Chinese suppliers, with joint military exercises, such as one conducted in November 2024, further deepening this partnership. However, terrorist attacks targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan, including seven killed in 2024, have strained this relationship, complicating China’s regional ambitions.
India’s Operation Sindoor, therefore, was not just a military victory over Pakistan but a strategic message to China. By outperforming Chinese-supplied systems, India demonstrated that its push for self-reliance in defense is yielding results, challenging China’s dominance as a military supplier in the region. This has broader implications for South Asian power dynamics, with India positioning itself as a sovereign power capable of countering both Pakistan’s proxy warfare and China’s technological influence.
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