{"id":1942,"date":"2025-05-22T05:10:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/?p=1942"},"modified":"2025-05-22T05:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:13:00","slug":"let-flying-jets-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/2025\/05\/22\/let-flying-jets-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Flying Jets Fly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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During the ongoing Operation Sindoor<\/em>, there\u2019s been much noise\u2014claims and counterclaims\u2014about Pakistani assertions of having shot down several Indian fighter jets. This isn\u2019t unusual. In conflicts between long-time adversaries like India and Pakistan, truth often becomes the first casualty\u2014sacrificed at the altar of domestic political compulsions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good example is the 1965 war. Pakistan claimed it destroyed over 600 Indian tanks<\/strong>, losing only around 150\u2013190<\/strong> of its own. India, on the other hand, estimated 471 Pakistani tanks lost<\/strong>, including 97 captured in working condition<\/strong>. Neutral military historians tend to agree more with India\u2019s numbers, which were also supported by physical evidence\u2014like the captured tanks at Patton Nagar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, in 2025, Pakistan claims to have shot down more than five Indian jets<\/strong>. India has chosen not to issue a direct rebuttal. The Director General of Air Operations (DGAO) merely stated that \u201call our pilots have returned safely<\/em>\u201d\u2014a remark open to interpretation. Does it mean no jets were hit, or just that pilots bailed out safely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, Pakistan hasn\u2019t offered any credible proof\u2014no wreckage, no video, no radar visuals. Despite this, some voices in India, including the Leader of the Opposition<\/strong>, are demanding that the government \u201cown up\u201d if there were any losses. This is not just politically na\u00efve; it borders on irresponsibility. In an environment where information warfare<\/strong> is as critical as battlefield strategy, such demands play straight into the adversary\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s silence may well be strategic. In modern warfare, ambiguity can be a weapon too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s consider two scenarios:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\u00a0If India did lose aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Why hide it? Losses are unfortunate but expected in military operations. In India\u2019s democratic setup\u2014with social media, smartphones, and satellite imagery\u2014it\u2019s nearly impossible to hide wreckage or damage for long. If concealment was attempted and later exposed, the backlash would outweigh any short-term gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.\u00a0<\/strong> If India didn\u2019t lose aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Then why not deny the claims outright? Why not show the jets on the tarmac to a group of journalists?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One possibility is that India used decoys or deception<\/strong> to mislead Pakistan, allowing it to believe it scored hits on real assets. If that\u2019s the case, letting the ambiguity linger is smart strategy<\/strong>. It sows doubt in the adversary\u2019s mind and could prove useful in future encounters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In either case, decisions on what to reveal\u2014or conceal\u2014are likely taken based on military and intelligence assessments<\/strong>, not political calculations. If anything, the government stands to lose more politically by appearing evasive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those demanding public disclosures on sensitive operational matters should remember: national security isn\u2019t a press conference.<\/strong> It\u2019s a long game, often played in the shadows. And in that game, a little silence can be louder than a thousand soundbites<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the ongoing Operation Sindoor, there\u2019s been much noise\u2014claims and counterclaims\u2014about Pakistani assertions of having shot down several Indian fighter jets. This isn\u2019t unusual. In conflicts between long-time adversaries like India and Pakistan, truth often becomes the first casualty\u2014sacrificed at the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,9,67,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogitorial","category-military","category-national-issues","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1942"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1947,"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942\/revisions\/1947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rohitagarwal.in\/swordarm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}