“India didn’t just win a military battle against Pakistan — it won a technology referendum against China”: Spencer wrote
RNS: India’s recent military campaign against Pakistan, Operation Sindoor, has not only drawn global attention for its swift execution but is now being hailed as a watershed moment in modern warfare — signaling a technological victory over China as well.
According to John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, US Army Military Academy, the operation represented far more than a battlefield success. In a statement posted on social platform X, Spencer remarked, “India didn’t just win a military battle against Pakistan — it won a technology referendum against China.”
Spencer called the operation “a strategic masterstroke” and highlighted India’s growing prowess in indigenous defense manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) May 29, 2025
Launched earlier this month, Operation Sindoor was a decisive, four-day military campaign in response to cross-border terror incidents. While the strikes were visibly intense, what unfolded behind the scenes was a high-stakes technological contest between Indian-developed defense systems and Chinese-supplied platforms used by Pakistan.
India deployed a combination of home-grown weaponry — including the BrahMos supersonic missile, Akash and Akashteer air defense systems — alongside seamlessly integrated foreign technologies such as Rafale fighter jets, Scalp missiles, and Russian S-400 missile systems. These systems worked in unison under India’s command-and-control architecture, showcasing a robust hybrid warfare capability.
Spencer noted that Pakistan, acting “as a proxy of Beijing,” relied on a mix of Chinese JF-17 fighter jets, HQ-9 missile defenses, Turkish drones, and U.S.-origin F-16s — many of which were neutralized or outmaneuvered by Indian forces.
Between May 6 and May 10, the Indian military executed precision strikes on at least eight key Pakistani military sites, including airbases, radar installations, and air defense hubs in both Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The operation concluded after Islamabad formally requested a ceasefire.
Defense analysts are now describing Operation Sindoor as a turning point in regional military balance, redefining India’s position in South Asia’s strategic landscape. “This was more than retaliation,” Spencer emphasized. “It was India’s announcement to the world: we are not just ready for war — we’re ready to lead the future of military innovation.”
The campaign is now being recognized globally as a defining moment in India’s military evolution — not just for its operational success, but for the symbolic blow it delivered to China’s defense exports. Experts agree: the real victory was India’s emergence as a sovereign technological force in modern warfare.