'Outcome Is Important, Can't Dwell On Setbacks': CDS Chauhan Highlights Op Sindoor Success

Last Updated:June 03, 2025, 17:55 IST

CDS General Anil Chauhan stressed that professional military forces focus on outcomes, not setbacks, as he hailed the success of India's 'Operation Sindoor' against Pakistan.

Jammu: Students pose for pictures after making a rangoli to pay tribute to Pahalgam terror attack victims (Photo: PTI)

Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, Anil Chauhan, on Tuesday said India cannot dwell on setbacks, and hailed the country’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan.

Delivering a special lecture on ‘Future Wars and Warfare’ in Maharashtra’s Pune, CDS Chauhan said the outcome of an act is important. 

“Professional military forces are not affected by setbacks and losses," the CDS said, as he highlighted the success of India’s strikes against Pakistan.

“Losses are not important, but outcomes are important," he added.

“War and warfare are synonyms with the political history of mankind. Warfare is as old as human civilisation. Any kind of war has two important elements in it- the violence and the politics behind the violence. The third element is communication, which is happening continuously," CDS Chauhan said.

“As professional forces, we do not get affected by setbacks and losses; we should be able to understand and rectify our mistakes, and we cannot sit back with setbacks," he said.

Earlier, on June 1, CDS Chauhan held bilateral talks with Vice Admiral Aaron Beng, Chief of Defence Force of Singapore, reinforcing the strong and growing defence ties between the two nations.

During a press conference in Singapore, when CDS Chauhan was asked about Pakistan’s claims on losses of Indian fighter jets during ‘Operation Sindoor’, he responded, “What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being downed. What mistakes were made — those are important."

“Numbers are not important. The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew our jets again, targeting at long range," a Bloomberg report quoted the CDS as saying.

“What was important was why these losses occurred, and what we would do after that. So, we rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defences with impunity, and carried out precision strikes," he told Reuters.

WHAT CDS CHAUHAN SAID ON PAKISTAN’s LOSSES 

On being asked about the losses incurred by the Pakistan side during India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, CDS Chauhan on Tuesday 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," the CDS said.

“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 added.

WHAT CDS CHAUHAN SAID ON PAHALGAM ATTACK

Speaking on the Pahalgam terror attack in Pune, CDS Chauhan said, “What happened in Pahalgam was profound cruelty towards the victims because all of them were killed with head shots in front of their families and their children, and they were shot in the name of religion, which is unacceptable."

“This caused a huge revulsion in society. There was a kind of hatred. It revived memories because this was not a single act of terror against India. Western nations may have had one or two acts of terror. India has been a victim of the maximum terror acts, and almost 20,000 people have been killed," he said.

Also commenting on the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, CDS Chauhan refuted US President Donald Trump’s claims of mediation and said, “On May 10, at about 1 am, their (Pakistan) aim was to get India to its knees in 48 hours."

“Operations, which they thought would continue for 48 hours, folded up in about eight hours, and then they picked up the telephone and said they wanted to talk," he said.

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