All-season General

• Gen. Chauhan confirmed that losses during Operation Sindoor were part of combat and that the objective of decimating terrorist camps was achieved.

• He emphasized that the reasons for these losses were rectified and then returned on the 7th, 8th, and 10th stages.

• The CDS played a critical role in the military operation, which involved a full-spectrum and multi-domain kinetic action by the tri-services against a “nuclear-armed” adversary.

• Gen. Chauhan assumed charge as the country’s second CDS on September 30, 2022, nine months after Gen. Bipin Rawat died in a chopper crash in December 2021.

• He has held several key posts and possesses extensive experience in counterinsurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast.

• The government granted “complete operational freedom” to the armed forces and intelligence agencies to determine the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response.

• The government claimed that the Air Force bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence systems, completing the mission in 23 minutes using Rafael jets, SCALP missiles, and HAMMER bombs.

• Gen. Chauhan dismissed the Pakistani side’s claim of downing six Indian jets, but confirmed that there were indeed “losses in the air.”

• He described Operation Sindoor as a decisive move to draw the limits of tolerance and make it clear to Pakistan that it cannot hold India hostage to terror.

• Gen. Chauhan underscored the institutional reforms undertaken to ensure an integrated approach with more flexible structures, emphasizing the requirement for dedicated organizations for drones, electronic warfare, and unmanned aerial platforms.