When the Pahalgam terrorist attack shook the country in May 2025, leaving 26 innocent lives lost, something inside India seemed to snap — not in anger, but in clarity. What followed wasn’t just retaliation; it was a playbook rewritten in real-time.
Operation Sindoor unfolded like a well-scoped mission with modern military teeth. As I watched this story unfold — as a citizen, not a general — I was reminded of two strikingly different lenses: Christine Fair’s unrelenting diagnosis of the Pakistan Army, and James Warden’s strategy bible, Winning in Fast Times. One exposes the permanent dysfunction across the border. The other offers a framework that, perhaps for the first time, India was now starting to follow.
Fast Strategy with Purpose: “Begin with the End in Mind”
James Warden speaks of organizations that win by starting with clarity — not just reacting, but setting a deliberate course. Operation Sindoor wasn’t a knee-jerk response. It was surgical, multi-phased, and clear in its goals: dismantle terror camps across Bahawalpur, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Muridke; neutralize Pakistan’s offensive launchpads; and redefine deterrence.
There was no public over dramatization. No premature chest-thumping. Just intent, action, and message.
Unified Command: When All Arms Move as One
Another core tenet from Winning in Fast Times is about “cross-functional alignment” — and India, long mired in bureaucratic inertia, finally seemed to move with a unified spine. Reports across platforms like PIB and Times of India revealed how:
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The Air Force led preemptive strikes with satellite-guided munitions.
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The Indian Navy launched deterrent operations in the Arabian Sea within 96 hours of the attack.
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The Army mobilized along sensitive LoC zones, ensuring no vulnerability was left exposed.
It was jointness at scale — something India’s forces have often aspired to but seldom executed with such speed and cohesion.
The Pakistan Army: Playing by a Different Rulebook
To understand the other side, we go to Christine Fair’s Fighting to the End, where she argues that the Pakistan Army is designed not to win, but to sustain conflict eternally with India. She outlines a chilling truth: the Army doesn't fear tactical losses, because it thrives on ideological survival.
From that lens, even as Pakistani airbases and terror camps lay in ruins, the GHQ in Rawalpindi saw opportunity — to consolidate internal power, to reinforce the "India threat" narrative, and to justify future militarization.
This is what makes Pakistan uniquely dangerous. Fair makes it clear — peace is not the Pakistan Army’s goal; endurance is.
Speed as Strategy: Agility Over Doctrine
Warden’s insights hit home here. India’s past responses were sluggish, over-cautious, and telegraphed. Operation Sindoor moved with operational agility:
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From intel to strike in under 72 hours.
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From diplomacy to deployment without media fanfare.
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From localized retaliation to deep strike doctrine, 100km inside Pakistani territory.
India is no longer playing checkers on Pakistan’s board. It’s flipping the board and setting its own pace.
But at What Cost?
This clarity, this agility, came at a price. In both Indian and Pakistan side of Kashmir, 43 civilian deaths were reported. Displacement. Fear. Loss.
Christine Fair reminds us: the Pakistani Army may be the architect of endless hostility, but ordinary civilians bear the brunt. And Warden warns: speed without system can spiral. The key is not just to act quickly, but to ensure every fast move contributes to a long-term strategic posture.
Political and Strategic Takeaways
For India:
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Strategic Autonomy Strengthened: A clear signal to both adversaries and allies — India acts on its own terms.
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Public Morale and Unity: Political differences faded temporarily. Public sentiment was firmly behind the armed forces.
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Credibility Reinforced: Not just militarily, but diplomatically — restraint was balanced with resolve.
Yet India must now prepare for the next act — a possible asymmetric retaliation, or cyber and proxy warfare. Fast doesn’t mean finished.
For Pakistan:
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Military Setbacks: Real assets were lost — airfields damaged, training camps neutralized.
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Narrative Recovery: Despite these, the Pakistan Army will likely use this moment to ask for more resources and clamp further on civilian control — exactly what Fair has chronicled.
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International Isolation: Even old allies were muted. The world is tiring of the “plausible deniability” doctrine.
Final Thought: When Doctrine Meets Will
Operation Sindoor wasn’t just a military operation. It was a strategic pivot — a living manifestation of James Warden’s philosophy: “Be clear, be fast, be aligned.”
And yet, Christine Fair’s cold realism reminds us that India isn’t playing against an opponent looking to win. It’s playing against one looking to never stop playing.
To succeed in this dangerous neighborhood, India will need more than just fast times. It will need smart endurance, institutional reform, and a plan beyond the next strike.
Sindoor may be over. But the doctrine it awakened? That’s just beginning.
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