A possible convergence of interests between China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh may have serious “implications for India’s stability and security dynamics”, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said Tuesday.
In an address at the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank, Gen Chauhan, without naming any country directly, also stated that economic distress in countries in the Indian Ocean region has given outside powers the opportunity to leverage their influence, which may create vulnerabilities for India.
“There is a possible convergence of interest we can talk about between China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh that may have implications for India’s stability and security dynamics,” General Chauhan said at the event.
He, however, also stated that it is challenging to determine the extent of state support provided by China to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and that no unusual activity was observed along the northern borders during the conflict.
Speaking about Operation Sindoor, Gen Chauhan said it was possibly the first time that two nuclear weapon states were directly engaged in hostilities.
He added that India has said it will not be deterred by nuclear blackmail. Stating that Operation Sindoor is the only example of a conflict between two nuclear weapon states, he said there have been hundreds of conflicts around the world ever since nuclear weapons were invented, but it was for the first time that two nuclear weapon states were directly engaged in a conflict.
He added that Op Sindoor is unique in itself and may hold lessons for the entire world.
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Gen Chauhan added that further expansion of space in conventional operations is possible by extending it to newer domains of warfare, such as the cyber and electromagnetic spheres.
Noting that there was space for conventional operations, he said that the no-first-use policy in India’s nuclear doctrine contributes to creating this particular space between India and Pakistan. He also said India must be prepared for the full spectrum of conflict, both conventional and sub-conventional.
He said weapons are tools of deterrence, not instruments of war-fighting, adding that India will not be subjected to nuclear coercion.
Secondly, he said, when India responded, terrorist camps in Pakistan were destroyed in response to the Pahalgam terror attack as part of a prevention strategy. “You may call it revenge, you may call it retribution, but that ought to prevent further attacks,” Gen Chauhan said, adding that Pakistan escalated the conflict into a fully conventional domain.
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He said the escalation to a conventional domain was in the hands of Pakistan, which reduces the neighbouring country’s option to raise the threshold of this nuclear conflict.
He said the fourth evolving military challenge is increasing vulnerabilities to long-range vectors and long-range precision flights, adding that currently, no foolproof defence mechanism against ballistic missiles, hypersonics, cruise missiles, and large-scale attack by drones or loitering ammunition is there.
Gen Chauhan said the path to theaterisation begins with jointness and integration among the three defence services. He said Operation Sindoor demonstrated this jointness organically, while strategic synergy across services also reflected growing integration on the ground.
