Speaking against the backdrop of the Arabian Sea, Singh recalled the operational readiness of the Indian Navy during a classified military exercise—codenamed Operation Sindoor—suggesting that the deployment of full naval capabilities could have fractured Pakistan into “four pieces.”
“If we had unleashed the full force of our Navy during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s map could have looked very different today,” Singh said, addressing naval personnel and senior officials aboard the warship. “We exercised restraint not out of weakness, but from a position of strategic maturity.”
Maritime Supremacy as Deterrence
The minister’s remarks serve both as a retrospective assertion of strength and a contemporary deterrence amid shifting regional dynamics. While details of Operation Sindoor remain classified, it is believed to have involved coordinated tri-service readiness exercises aimed at projecting dominance across key Indian Ocean corridors.
Singh emphasized that India’s naval forces are not only a symbol of power but also guardians of peace in the Indo-Pacific region. “Our Navy is fully capable of safeguarding India’s maritime boundaries, critical trade routes, and strategic interests,” he said.
A Subtle but Clear Message
Though Singh did not refer to recent provocations directly, the statement is being interpreted as a strategic signal to Pakistan amid ongoing tensions over cross-border incidents and cyber-enabled threats. It also arrives at a time when India is ramping up its naval modernization programs, including deployment of advanced warships, submarines, and surveillance systems.
Former naval commanders and defence analysts have termed Singh’s comments as a “doctrinal pivot”—an assertion that India will not tolerate strategic coercion and is willing to remind adversaries of its latent military capabilities.
India’s Indigenous Defence Backbone
Singh’s choice of platform—INS Vikrant—was not incidental. Commissioned in 2022, INS Vikrant is the pride of India’s Atmanirbhar (self-reliance) defence initiative and is emblematic of India’s growing maritime self-sufficiency.
“INS Vikrant represents not just a warship, but the will of a new India—resilient, self-reliant, and ready,” Singh stated, reinforcing the ship’s symbolic relevance to India’s naval doctrine.
The visit concluded with a ceremonial address to the crew and a review of key maritime preparedness exercises. Singh reaffirmed the government’s commitment to increasing defence budgets and upgrading India’s blue-water capabilities to meet emerging threats in the Indian Ocean and beyond.
