Lalit Shastri

What should have been a moment for quiet consolidation has instead turned into a cacophony of disclosures. As television studios compete for the loudest headlines and expert panels jostle for relevance, confidential details and capabilities are being spilled into the public domain at an alarming pace. Inadvertently or otherwise, we’re handing our adversaries a ready-made debrief — and they are listening.

In Beijing and Ankara, our adversaries’ mentors are poring over every televised word, every boast, every technical diagram aired by eager commentators. The enemy doesn’t need to penetrate our defences — we’re dismantling them, one careless soundbite at a time.

Discretion Defeated by Euphoria

In the name of national celebration, discretion has been jettisoned. Even the political opposition has joined the fray, pushing the government and defence establishment to divulge operational specifics under the garb of “transparency.” But when such demands become fodder for foreign analysis, it’s not just poor politics — it’s strategic negligence.

At the centre of this storm is a deeply concerning misstep by none other than ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan. Addressing a gathering in the wake of Operation Sindoor, Dr. Narayanan disclosed details about specific satellites used to support India’s military operations. While the ISRO chief may have basked in the glow of public adulation, his statement, covered by a cross section of mainstream media, crossed a red line. The implications are profound: national security operations — especially those enabled through space-based assets — are not meant to be paraded in the press.

India’s space programme, painstakingly nurtured by visionaries like Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, has always rested on the foundational claim of peaceful and societal application. That very positioning was crucial in securing India’s entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Some within the Department of Space and Ministry of External Affairs battled hard to protect this narrative.

But with just one loose remark, the ISRO chief placed this diplomatic effort and strategic ambiguity in jeopardy.

Dr. Narayanan would do well to remember: once satellites are launched, they are commandeered by other arms of government. Publicly linking them to operational warfare applications — especially when they are functioning in classified or semi-classified capacities — is indefensible.

There is no clause in ISRO’s mandate that allows it to publicize the defence utility of its payloads. What it does in orbit is not for public applause, but national security. The chairman must be reminded that sometimes, the silence of a scientist serves the nation more than the thunder of a headline.

Echoes of Past Irregularities

That this lack of judgement comes from a figure already tainted by controversy only compounds the damage. As Director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Dr. Narayanan was embroiled in allegations of bypassing established recruitment norms to favour K. Sivan — then ISRO Chairman. The 2021 scandal exposed internal rot and nepotism at one of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Such a legacy should have instilled caution. Instead, it appears to have emboldened indiscretion.

Retired Brass and the Contest of Loose Lips

But the ISRO chief isn’t alone in this strategic self-sabotage. Night after night, national security discussions on primetime resemble war room briefings — minus the confidentiality. Retired defence personnel and self-proclaimed analysts rattle off intricate details of AI integration, missile telemetry, satellite imagery processing, and even command chain protocols. The result? A virtual blueprint for enemy analysts — served hot on national television.

What ought to be silent victories are now public theatre, and the line between patriotism and posturing has never been thinner.

The Last Word: Secrecy is Strategy

India’s adversaries do not sleep. They adapt, they mimic, and they prepare. Every public disclosure we make today — every satellite we name, every capability we outline — becomes their tomorrow’s defence plan. We cannot afford to spoon-feed the enemy in the name of democratic discourse.

It is time for the government to draw firm lines. Media protocols must be revised. Gag orders, where necessary, must be enforced. Space agency heads and military veterans need urgent briefings on what not to say.

Operation Sindoor is a masterstroke in execution. Let not its legacy be undone by the recklessness of our own voice.