Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Operation Sindoor Highlights India’s Need for Interoperable Military Systems
Jaijit Bhattacharya said Operation Sindoor showed that India’s military could make many different technologies work together.
These technologies included weapons, sensors and other military platforms.
He said future systems should be designed to communicate with one another from the beginning.
He warned that closed systems can make this difficult.
He also said bad or manipulated data could harm military decisions.
Software backdoors could create another security risk.
Cheap drones should not always be destroyed with very expensive missiles.
Bhattacharya said artificial intelligence will need strong industrial and technological systems, not just computer algorithms.
He also discussed the need for safeguards when using AI in military operations.
Technology policy expert Jaijit Bhattacharya said India’s military integrated diverse systems during Operation Sindoor.
He argued that weapons, sensors and platforms from different manufacturers should communicate through open architecture.
Bhattacharya said India achieved integration despite, rather than because of, system providers’ support.
He warned that poisoned data, software backdoors and closed technology ecosystems could create battlefield vulnerabilities.
He also highlighted the need for affordable responses to cheap drones and stronger domestic foundations for AI-enabled warfare.
- Who
- Dr Jaijit Bhattacharya, President of the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research, discussed the lessons for India’s military.
- What
- Operation Sindoor was cited as an example of integrating diverse military systems, while highlighting the need for interoperability, secure data and adaptable technology.
- When
- The comments were made after Operation Sindoor, at the Defence Tech Summit.
- Where
- At the Defence Tech Summit organized by the Centre for Emerging Technologies at USI.
- Why
- To explain how militaries can improve future warfare by connecting systems, protecting data, addressing software vulnerabilities and developing suitable countermeasures.
- Operation discussed
- Operation Sindoor
- Main lesson
- Weapons, sensors and platforms from different manufacturers must communicate and operate together.
- Recommended approach
- Open systems and open architecture built into defence technology from the design stage.
- Key vulnerability
- Compromised or “poisoned” data could limit military decision-making.
- Additional software risk
- Backdoors in military software could create battlefield vulnerabilities.
- Drone challenge
- Militaries should avoid using million-dollar missiles against small, inexpensive drones when other responses are available.
- AI requirement
- An AI-enabled military requires industrial systems and more than algorithms.