Civil defence network activated in 427 districts during Operation Sindoor: Former Army Chief

Former Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi recently highlighted key aspects of 'Operation Sindoor' during a private event. According to an India Today report, he stated that the civil defence network was activated in 427 districts of the country during this operation. The primary objective of this exercise, conducted on 7 May 2025, was to maintain the element of surprise during military operations. In his first major address since retirement, he emphasised that future wars will not only be fought on borders but also at the gates of the country's critical infrastructure units such as power plants, industrial facilities, mines, hospitals, and data centres.

Citing the experiences of Operation Sindoor, General Dwivedi said that this operation proves that private security agencies and the civil defence network play a vital role in the country's security. He clarified that the nation's security is not determined only at the Line of Control (LoC), but security personnel deployed at the gates of power plants at midnight are equally important. He described private security personnel as the country's largest human sensor network. If these personnel are provided with proper training and integrated into the mainstream, they can prove to be a strategic asset for the country. Conversely, if they remain untrained, they can become a major security loophole.

Speaking about the success of India's air defence system during Operation Sindoor, he stated that this success is not attributed to any single weapon or system, but is the result of coordination between organisations working at different levels. He explained that to prevent drone attacks, sensors of one organisation, jammers of another, and guns of a third were working in unison. The same principle needs to be applied to the internal security framework, where private security personnel can act as the first layer of detection. They can provide crucial intelligence from the ground level by identifying suspicious activities.

Warning about the changing nature of war, he said that conflicts are now fought simultaneously in physical, digital, and psychological domains. Future threats may include insider collusion, cyber intrusions, sabotage, spread of misinformation, and attacks by individuals with valid credentials. He emphasised that private security personnel are not outside the security framework, but are within it. Such comprehensive preparations have helped India achieve strategic surprise.

General Upendra Dwivedi was the former Chief of the Indian Army.