9th surgical strikes: Major Generals (Retd.) GD Bakshi & Sudhakar Jee explain India's journey to military dominance

Surgical Strikes of 2016 to the game-changing Operation Sindoor, we will take a deep dive into India’s rise as a formidable military and space power, the challenges posed by Pakistan’s proxy war tactics, China’s border disputes, and the emerging complexities of a potential “Islamic NATO.”

Gen. GD Bakshi:

Indian military power has grown tremendously. When I first joined the army, we barely had a couple of divisions. Back then, our Air Force was just starting out, flying left over air crafts from World War II. But look at us now we have the second largest army in the world, the fourth largest Navy, and the fifth largest Air Force. We are a credible military power, a nuclear power, and a space power that truly matters.

Gen. Bakshi mentioned, "I will focus on the terrorism phase which started in the 1980s with Pakistani intervention in the Punjab. Right one decade there was a massacre in Punjab. Then we increased our forces there, the Army went in there in a big way to support the police and we fixed the border and that really curtailed infiltration in a major way and proved to be a turning point. We had done Op-Blue Star which had its pluses and minuses both. It terminated Bhindrawale and his gang. Though it created a lot of emotional turbulence but at the end it eliminated all of the threat from Bhindrewala. We lost about 21,000 citizens in Punjab in this terror phase."

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia didn't start military contacts today. They started decades ago. They started in 1970. Very serious contacts. General Raheel Sharif retired and sitting in Saudi Arabia with pride. I don't know what they are doing there. I don't understand. But they are sitting there.

Pakistan has sent its troops to save Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque. To keep the leadership there safe. And on the border of Yemen, a Pakistani brigade was deployed. This is nothing new.

It has happened that since Israel has attacked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries feel that, "America gaya bhaad me". No one can be trusted at all. Americans are two-faced. They speak in two languages and they are encouraging Israel to attack every Arab country.

Hence, Arabs are worried. Saudi Arabia had given most of the money for Pakistan's nuclear bomb.

Now Saudi is telling Pakistan to keep the bomb in Saudi. They say, It is ours. We have paid. It is not yours. So Pakistan is also saying yes, I will deploy my nuclear bomb. But Pakistan cannot give it according to international law, according to NPT treaty. Saudi Arabia cannot receive a nuclear bomb.

If America sells weapons to Saudi Arabia, and they transfer it to Pakistan, then this can be a problem for us if there is a long war.

So for this, India will have to be very careful. Our defense budget is 1.9% of the GDP. You will have to come to at least 3 or 4% if you want to deal with your dangers.

Showing miserliness and only showing in defense, this is a very clever enmity. You have to increase the size of your air force. 42 was the sanctioned size. Now it has come to 29.

Which country does this? And you are saying that we have no shortage of money. We are the fourth largest economy in the world. And you are showing miserliness only in defence. Now you will have to spend with an open heart. You will have to bring what is necessary.

Maj. Gen. Sudhakar Jee:

Right from the beginning, the fundamental hostility was clear. As Nehru recognized early on, Pakistan is 'viscerally hostile' meaning its deep-rooted antagonism toward India is unlikely to be neutralized even if territorial disputes like Kashmir were resolved.

This hostility is structurally maintained by the Pakistani state, where the political and military culture has consistently prioritized militarism over civilian welfare, allocating substantial resources to its military even during economic crises.

Since failing to defeat us conventionally, Pakistan adopted a chilling proxy war strategy. The 'deep state' comprising the army and the ISI systematically fostered insurgencies using non-state actors like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad to pursue the notorious 'bleed India with a thousand cuts' doctrine, with a particular focus on Kashmir and Khalistan.

Simultaneously, we face the long-term challenge posed by China. India's borders with China, particularly in areas like Eastern Ladakh and Aksai Chin, have been historically undefined or disputed.

See, the main issue behind this is, Israel is a major non-NATO ally of US. However certain developments in the recent past suggest the behaviour of Israel is as that of an arrant child. While it may be right that negotiations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the subject, have been in progress for last two to three years to going for Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement gazing that any attack on either country would be treated as an act of aggression on both, yet it is believed that there was a greater need to keep Israel under check by going in for the agreement. Hence, tacit approval of the USA cannot be discounted.

Like in 2019, Houthis attacked a Saudi Aramco, a state owned oil company. US troops and missiles were not too far but they didn't respond. Similarly, ISIS entered in Mecca and Madina' that time Pakistan's Special Forces eliminated them. Plus Paksitan's army give training for Saudi, because Pakistan needs money.

So in this scenario, Israel attacked Hamas meeting in Qatar, without taking US in loop, this means the next target may be Saudi Arabia. So, the Saudi needs protection in this fear full situation.

Saudi was talking to Pakistan and it was informed India too about that. This deal says, if any threat comes from Israel, Pakistan is not duty bound to help.

India's military budget is about $86 Bn, Saudi have approx $76 Bn and Pakistan's military budget is about $11Bn. Saudi have Navy, Airforce and Army and Pakistan is one of the world's largest army, they about 330 fighter jets.

There was a time when Pak was 6th largest fire power, but now they have slipped. So, they will help each other or not, it is optional. Maybe we would have good strategic relations with Saudi and it will not help Pak.

India should keep war ready. In 2012-13 Central Government Annual Expenditure was 16.4% that is reduced to 11.09% in 2024-25. Don't reduce it. Keep it near 16%. Secondly, We should increase our R&D, innovation and bring research in integrated vertical. - Maj. Gen. Sudhakar Jee