Roving Periscope: Fake news wasted the Army’s 15% time in Operation Sindoor
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The Indian Armed Forces lost at least 15 percent of their precious time tackling the flood of fake news during Operation Sindoor early this month, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said.
Highlighting the significant challenge posed by misinformation and disinformation during the Operation, he revealed that approximately 15 percent of the armed forces’ time went into tackling false narratives, the media reported on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Shangri-La Dialogue 2025 in Singapore, under the auspices of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), General Chauhan said, “Combating fake news was a constant effort. Our communication strategy was deliberate; we chose to be measured, not reactive, because misinformation can quickly distort public perception during high-stakes operations.”
Elaborating on India’s approach to countering disinformation, he pointed out that the country’s narratives are grounded in credibility, even if they sometimes emerge slowly. “India has always built its narratives on solid ground, even if we’ve sometimes been slow to present them,” he said.
“For instance, in the first three days, two women officers were our primary spokespeople because the actual military leadership were directly engaged in fast-moving operations. It was only after the 10th that the DGMOs came forward to brief the media.”
Addressing concerns about cyber warfare during the conflict, General Chauhan acknowledged its presence but emphasised its limited impact on core military operations. “As someone directly involved in these operations, I can say that cyber did play a role in the conflict, but its impact was limited. While both sides did experience attacks, including some denial-of-service efforts, our military systems are air-gapped, meaning they’re not connected to the internet and are therefore largely secure,” he said.
Speaking at an event on “Future Wars and Warfare” on Friday, General Chauhan underscored the complexity of modern combat. “Modern warfare is undergoing a complex convergence of tactical, operational and strategic layers; old and new domains (land, air, sea, cyber and space); and even of time and space. This convergence reshapes tactics, demanding demassification of battlefields, distributed force application, non-linear operations and a move away from large static platforms toward flexible, deceptive strategies,” he noted.
General Chauhan stressed the importance of real-time integration across different domains of warfare. “What matters most in modern warfare is the networking of systems and real-time integration across air, land, sea and cyber domains. If you have great technology but it’s not connected, you can’t fully leverage it. We must also carefully consider where the cutting edge of technology should reside- in the weapon, the platform, or the network? That’s a key strategic question,” he said.
Reflecting on the progress in military reforms, the CDS highlighted the shift toward more integrated and agile structures. “Regarding structural reforms, earlier we didn’t have true jointness or integration in the military. Now, after initiatives and operational experiences, we are moving toward integrated commands and leaner, more flexible structures. We’ll need separate organisations for drones, EW, UTAPs (Unmanned Teaming Aerial Platforms), etc,” he said.
He also pointed to the need for doctrinal updates to match the changing nature of warfare. “Doctrinally, we must update our understanding of multi-domain operations, cyber, space, ISR, and joint targeting; all of this needs work. Even our professional military education is changing. For the first time, we have a truly joint staff course where 40 officers from all three services train together for a full year. That’s a major shift,” he said.
