New Delhi: Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr., Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said here Sunday that he applauds the tactical execution and restraint shown by India during Operation Sindoor. He also said both New Delhi and Washington DC have lessons to learn about the use of Chinese weapons and tactics.
Speaking to a select group of journalists here, the senior American military officer spoke on a range of issues and pressed for deeper cooperation between the US and India on the defence front. Peace, he emphasised, is through strength.
Terming the Pahalgam terror attack as terrible, Paparo said, “I applaud the tactical execution in Operation Sindoor and the introspection on lessons learnt.”
Adding, “We applaud the restraint that was exhibited, and we hope to work together to see that such a terrible event it preceded (Pahalgam attack) doesn’t happen again. And you know, I think all peace loving nations are concerned when we see operations of this kind.”
Asked by ThePrint what are lessons to be learnt from India’s confrontation with China first in Doklam in 2017, then in 2020 in eastern Ladakh—as well as use of Chinese satellites and weapons during Op Sindoor—Paparo replied: “Constant vigilance and constant readiness”.
He went on to add, “First, is that constant vigilance and constant readiness…one doesn’t ever know when the unforgiving hour comes. And then it’s the importance of maintaining a strong deterrent posture…
“And we think our partnerships have an exponential effect on deterrence, because it demonstrates a unity of purpose among us to maintain the peace and a peace through strength and then…I think as our policy, leaders are managing the relationships, it’s the duty of our military leaders to keep a close eye on capability and to be ready to contest that capability at any moment.”
Responding to more questions on Op Sindoor, he said every single operation throws up lessons. “From every single operation, there’s lessons to be learnt. Certainly, employment of those weapons, the potential participation in guiding those weapons, were a matter of deep concern, and we all can and we should have the opportunity to learn from it.”
The Admiral also said that he has seen a deep commitment from the Indian military to learning these lessons. “And you know those tactical lessons and being able to apply them for us, for the Indian forces to get better, in case the unforgiving hour strikes again, which we all are very much working to avoid that, avoid such a situation,” he said
Asked what lessons the US took away from Op Sindoor he replied: “Complex long range weapons have complex long range kill chains”.
He said that, with the combination of sensors, communication, propulsion, warheads, seekers in the 21st Century, geography is no longer a commodity, given the commoditisation of space, in information, of propulsion and of seekers.
“…Increasingly, the 21st Century will be won by actors who master the information environment, and that is space, counter-space, electronic warfare, low observability and other technologies which in some confer both lethality and survivability onto the force,” he said.
Adding, “And so I think the lesson is that many of the technologies have been commoditised, and states are in constant states, constant cycles of overmatch, and we must heed those lessons very closely”.
The Admiral stressed on the need for closer cooperation between India and the US in the maritime domain, especially the underwater domain.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: IAF achieved air superiority in Op Sindoor, forced Pakistan to seek ceasefire—Swiss think tank