Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan delivered an address on the evolving landscape of military conflicts during a lecture titled ‘Future Wars and Warfare’ at Savitribai Phule University in Pune, Maharashtra. He offered insights into the Indian Armed Forces’ recent operations and the philosophical underpinnings of modern-day warfare. Speaking candidly about Operation Sindoor, the CDS addressed questions about the losses incurred during the mission. Using a cricket metaphor to clarify the Armed Forces’ stance, General Chauhan said, “When I was asked about losses on our side, I said these are not important. The results and how you act are important. It would not be very correct to talk about losses… Suppose you go to a cricket test match, and you win by an innings defeat, then there’s no question of how many wickets, how many balls and how many players”, news agency ANI reported. He added that the technical data related to the operation, including destroyed aircraft and radar systems, would be compiled and released soon. “Based on technical parameters, we will take out this particular data and share it with you. We will tell you how many aircraft we destroyed and how many radars we destroyed. We’ll make a rough assessment of that and come out with that shortly,” he stated. Pakistan’s Aim Was To Get India To Its Knees In 48 Hours, Says CDS Providing a detailed timeline, General Chauhan noted that the cross-border operations, launched on May 7, were far shorter than expected. “On the 10th of May, at about 1 am, their (Pakistan’s) aim was to get India to its knees in 48 hours. Multiple attacks were launched, and in some manner, they have escalated this conflict, which we had hit only terror targets… Operations which they thought would continue for 48 hours, folded up in about 8 hours, and then they picked up the telephone and said they wanted to talk…” he said, as quoted by ANI. The CDS underscored that the initial trigger for the conflict was a terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir. “The whole starting point of this particular war was the Pahalgam terror attack. Is terrorism a rational act of warfare? I don’t think that’s because terrorism has no defined logic,” he said ‘Bleeding India by a Thousand Cuts’: CDS Highlights Pakistan’s Mindset General Chauhan also reflected on Pakistan’s long-standing strategy towards India, referring to historical statements and consistent hostilities. “As far as our adversary is concerned, it has decided to bleed India by a thousand cuts… In 1965, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declared a thousand-year war against India when he addressed the United Nations Security Council,” he remarked. The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting and neutralising nine terror launchpads located deep within Pakistani territory. In retaliation, Pakistan attempted to strike both military and civilian infrastructure in India. India responded with precision attacks on several Pakistani air bases. A mutual understanding to cease hostilities was reached by May 10.