In the 21st century, the side that wins the battle is not always the one that fires the last shot. Increasingly, it is the side that wins the narrative — the story that shapes public consciousness and international opinion. Operation Sindoor in May 2025 was not only a military strike; it was a clash of perceptions.
The Adversary’s Playbook
Even as India’s Akashteer and S-400 batteries brought down waves of drones and missiles, Pakistan was waging a parallel battle online. Doctored videos of Indian fighters crashing, exaggerated casualty counts, and “evidence” of civilian sites struck appeared within hours. These were not random social media posts; they were part of a deliberate strategy to muddy facts, erode morale, and divide public opinion — a tactic honed by adversaries from Gaza to Ukraine.
India’s Counter-Narrative
Unlike in the past, India fought back quickly. The Defence Ministry released high-resolution satellite imagery of destroyed terror launchpads. PIB’s fact-check unit debunked deepfakes. Video of loitering munitions being intercepted was shared within hours. For once, official messaging was not hesitant or defensive; it was assertive and evidence-led. The result was clear: adversary propaganda failed to stick.
Yet Sindoor also revealed shortcomings. Coordination between the services, PIB, and MEA was improvised. Messaging worked, but at times lagged. In a digital battlespace where viral misinformation spreads in minutes, even small delays can seed doubt.
IO as a Core Warfighting Domain
Theatreisation is meant to unify India’s warfighting power across land, sea, and air. The Sindoor experience shows it must also integrate information warfare as a fourth domain. Just as cyber and space are treated as strategic enablers, IO must have permanent cells within each theatre command, staffed with professionals who can monitor, verify, and counter narratives in real time.
Other democracies already embed this function. The US runs combatant command information wings. Israel’s IDF spokespersons work alongside operational units to push verified updates within hours. The UK maintains dedicated “Defence Media Operations” teams to shape perception during conflict. India has the capability to do the same — what is missing is institutional design and mandate.
The Battle of Morale
Information warfare is not only about deceiving the enemy. It is about sustaining the faith of one’s own citizens. After Sindoor, giant billboards in Indian cities celebrated air defence triumphs. Hashtags trended across platforms. But beneath the spectacle lies a truth: citizens trust their armed forces when communication is transparent, timely, and credible. That trust is as strategic as any missile battery.
Winning Future Wars of Perception
Sindoor offers three lessons. First, the faster India communicates, the harder it is for adversaries to distort the story. Second, credibility beats volume; a single satellite image is worth more than a hundred denials. Third, IO must be pre-planned and doctrine-driven, not left to improvisation during crises.
As India formalises its integrated theatre commands under the Inter-Services Organisations Act, this is the moment to hardwire IO cells into command structures. Without this, India risks fighting the next narrative battle with ad hoc arrangements while its adversaries prepare deliberately.
India’s armed forces showed in Sindoor that they can dominate the skies. But to dominate the story, they must fight the narrative as deliberately as the battle. Victory on the battlefield is no longer enough. In an age of deepfakes and disinformation, victory must also be secured on the billboards.