'Decisive Indian victory': US urban warfare expert hails Op Sindoor, says such clarity is rare in modern war

India achieved a massive victory. That's how American urban warfare expert John Spencer described the outcome of Operation Sindoor, following four days of calculated military strikes by India inside Pakistan. “Operation Sindoor met and exceeded its strategic aims — destroying terrorist infrastructure, demonstrating military superiority, restoring deterrence, and unveiling a new national security doctrine,” Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, said. “This was not symbolic force. It was decisive power, clearly applied.”

Spencer also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's doctrine, India's advancing domestic defense industry, and the professionalism of its armed forces all signal a country no longer preparing for the last war. "It is preparing for the next one."

The operation began in response to the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, where 26 Indian civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the group’s attack prompted India to abandon restraint.

On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force carried out nine deep-strike missions targeting major terror camps and logistics hubs in Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Muzaffarabad. “India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail. India will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail,” Prime Minister Modi declared. He added, “Terror and talks can’t go together. Water and blood can’t flow together.”

Sequence of Events:

May 7: India carried out precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan.

May 8: Pakistan responded with a massive drone swarm. India’s multi-layered air defence systems, supported by Israeli and Russian technology, neutralized nearly all.

May 9: India escalated with further strikes on six Pakistani military airbases and UAV control centers.

May 10: Firing halted. Indian military did not use the term “ceasefire,” instead opting for “stoppage of firing”—a deliberate semantic move underscoring strategic control.

While India hasn’t officially declared the operation over, it has enforced a strategic pause—retaining full initiative.

Strategic Outcomes:

New Red Line: Any terror strike from Pakistan will now invite military retaliation. “That’s not a threat. It’s precedent.”

Military Superiority: India demonstrated its ability to strike targets across Pakistan with impunity. Pakistan failed to breach India’s defences.

Restored Deterrence: Calibrated escalation reaffirmed that India controls the pace of engagement.

Strategic Independence: India managed the entire operation independently—without international mediation.

This wasn't about occupation or political regime change. It was a limited war with sharply defined objectives. Critics questioning the scale of India’s response, Spencer noted, missed the point: “Strategic success isn’t about the scale of destruction—it’s about achieving the desired political effect.”

India’s action was about deterrence, not vengeance. “India’s restraint is not weakness — it is maturity,” the statement read. By imposing costs and redefining thresholds, India retained escalation dominance.

Unlike past patterns where attacks led to diplomatic appeals or symbolic measures, this time India acted swiftly and precisely. “The India of 2008 absorbed attacks and waited. This India hits back—immediately, precisely, and with clarity."

Operation Sindoor exemplifies modern, limited war conducted under nuclear shadow but without losing sight of strategic clarity. “In an era defined by ‘forever wars’... Sindoor stands apart,” Spencer stated. The halt is not an end. India holds the initiative. If provoked again, it will strike again. 

The doctrine is now clear. The deterrence, restored.  "This is a new doctrine revealed. And it should be studied by all nations confronting the scourge of state-sponsored terrorism."