New Delhi: India recently deployed US-made weapons along its border with China, as part of a new offensive force to enhance its capabilities as the countries stand at a standoff over disputed territory in the Himalayas.
The buildup to India’s northeast is centered on the Tawang Plateau, adjacent to Bhutan and Tibet, a piece of land claimed by China but controlled by India. It holds historical political and military significance: in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India across a nearby mountain pass to escape a Chinese military campaign. Three years later, both sides fought a war in the area.
Now US-made Chinook helicopters, ultra-light towed howitzers and rifles as well as domestically manufactured supersonic cruise missiles and a new-age surveillance system will support Indian troops in areas bordering eastern Tibet. All weapons have been acquired over the years as defense ties between the US and India have strengthened due to growing concerns about China’s assertiveness.
Indian military personnel escorted a group of journalists through the area last week to highlight the country’s new offensive capabilities. Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Manoj Pandey said boots, armour, artillery and air support were being added to make the force “agile, lean and meandering so that we could act faster”.
“The Mountain Strike Corps is fully operational,” he said. “All units, including combat and combat support units, are fully prepared and equipped.”
After the death of at least 20 Indian Army personnel and at least four Chinese soldiers in the deadliest fighting in decades last year, India has moved to step up its security along the border with China. Although the two sides are engaged in talks to part ways, they have to agree to withdraw from a key flashpoint in another border area near the disputed region of Kashmir.
Rajeshwari Pillai Rajagopalan, director of the Center for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, said India’s deployment shows frustration with the lack of progress in talks with China. “We are looking at a second winter at the border, which explains why India needs to work on building its capabilities and infrastructure along the border and get more equipment from partners like the US,” he said.
Adding to the friction is a new Chinese border law that Beijing called a “unified standard to strengthen border management.” India warned that the new law, passed last week, could stifle ongoing border tensions, which China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called “unfair speculation”.
The bulk of India’s fresh army has gone east, where at least 30,000 troops have been deployed in the past year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is concerned about a repeat of a bitter 1962 battle in the Himalayas, when the People’s Liberation Army withdrew the less prepared and poorly led Indian Army to Tawang. The disused bunker and war memorial is still the only road that connects Tawang to the plains below.
mountain fortifications
According to a senior military commander familiar with the situation, India now wants to use the region to “punches” China if needed. The region is critical to India’s security, as the borders to Myanmar in the east are “poorly held” and the narrow corridor passing through Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh – including a gas pipeline connecting central India to the northeast and The railroads are – of ” serious concern,” said the commander.
The Indian Army’s offensive option along the Tawang Plateau, which is in the middle of those areas, will allow India to counter China as it increases military activity in the region. General Pandey said that there has been a slight increase in Chinese patrols in the eastern sector. line of actual control, “A disputed but de facto border between two countries running along the Himalayas.
NS LAC Patrols are carried out by India and China, although Gen Pandey said the scale and duration of PLA military exercises on his part have increased since the standoff in the eastern sector of Ladakh last year. India has “a sufficient number of troops available,” the general said without giving a number.
‘game changer’
A new aviation brigade of the Indian Army, located about 300 kilometers (186 mi) south of Tawang, is an important component of the new offensive plan. It was the same base from which American aircraft carriers flew to fight the Japanese Imperial Army in China and assist the Nationalist forces there in World War II.
The Indian Aviation Brigade is now equipped with Chinook helicopters, which can move US-made light howitzers and soldiers rapidly across mountains. It also has Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicles that broadcast real-time images of the adversary round the clock.
“Chinooks are a game changer,” said Major Karthik, a pilot in the newly formed brigade. “They offer maneuverability and maneuverability like never before – troops and artillery cannons can be moved quickly from one mountain ridge to another.”
Preparation goes beyond just shoes and new equipment. Engineers in India are excavating the world’s longest two-lane tunnel, which rises 13,000 feet (4,000 m) above sea level and passes under an important mountain pass, extending 317 kilometers to the currently disputed border. Can be reached by road.
tactical tunnel
Col Prakshit Mehra, a project director of the tunnel, said the construction was premature and the structure would be commissioned by next June. “Currently clearing the snow of the pass requires a massive effort, and even then only certain types of vehicles can cross it,” he said. “The tunnel will reduce travel times to hours, allowing for faster and smoother movement of troops throughout the year.”
A senior military commander, who did not wish to be identified, said the tunnel, once commissioned, ensures that India can move its troops without being traced to China.
A new road has been built near the disputed border to move troops and supplies. A second one connecting the disputed border with Bhutan’s eastern borders to the plains below is almost complete, throwing up more possibilities for military commanders.
“We are more comfortable than a few years ago,” said Major General Zubin A Minawala, commander of the Indian Army’s 5-Mountain Division.
The buildup to India’s northeast is centered on the Tawang Plateau, adjacent to Bhutan and Tibet, a piece of land claimed by China but controlled by India. It holds historical political and military significance: in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India across a nearby mountain pass to escape a Chinese military campaign. Three years later, both sides fought a war in the area.
Now US-made Chinook helicopters, ultra-light towed howitzers and rifles as well as domestically manufactured supersonic cruise missiles and a new-age surveillance system will support Indian troops in areas bordering eastern Tibet. All weapons have been acquired over the years as defense ties between the US and India have strengthened due to growing concerns about China’s assertiveness.
Indian military personnel escorted a group of journalists through the area last week to highlight the country’s new offensive capabilities. Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Manoj Pandey said boots, armour, artillery and air support were being added to make the force “agile, lean and meandering so that we could act faster”.
“The Mountain Strike Corps is fully operational,” he said. “All units, including combat and combat support units, are fully prepared and equipped.”
After the death of at least 20 Indian Army personnel and at least four Chinese soldiers in the deadliest fighting in decades last year, India has moved to step up its security along the border with China. Although the two sides are engaged in talks to part ways, they have to agree to withdraw from a key flashpoint in another border area near the disputed region of Kashmir.
Rajeshwari Pillai Rajagopalan, director of the Center for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, said India’s deployment shows frustration with the lack of progress in talks with China. “We are looking at a second winter at the border, which explains why India needs to work on building its capabilities and infrastructure along the border and get more equipment from partners like the US,” he said.
Adding to the friction is a new Chinese border law that Beijing called a “unified standard to strengthen border management.” India warned that the new law, passed last week, could stifle ongoing border tensions, which China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called “unfair speculation”.
The bulk of India’s fresh army has gone east, where at least 30,000 troops have been deployed in the past year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is concerned about a repeat of a bitter 1962 battle in the Himalayas, when the People’s Liberation Army withdrew the less prepared and poorly led Indian Army to Tawang. The disused bunker and war memorial is still the only road that connects Tawang to the plains below.
mountain fortifications
According to a senior military commander familiar with the situation, India now wants to use the region to “punches” China if needed. The region is critical to India’s security, as the borders to Myanmar in the east are “poorly held” and the narrow corridor passing through Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh – including a gas pipeline connecting central India to the northeast and The railroads are – of ” serious concern,” said the commander.
The Indian Army’s offensive option along the Tawang Plateau, which is in the middle of those areas, will allow India to counter China as it increases military activity in the region. General Pandey said that there has been a slight increase in Chinese patrols in the eastern sector. line of actual control, “A disputed but de facto border between two countries running along the Himalayas.
NS LAC Patrols are carried out by India and China, although Gen Pandey said the scale and duration of PLA military exercises on his part have increased since the standoff in the eastern sector of Ladakh last year. India has “a sufficient number of troops available,” the general said without giving a number.
‘game changer’
A new aviation brigade of the Indian Army, located about 300 kilometers (186 mi) south of Tawang, is an important component of the new offensive plan. It was the same base from which American aircraft carriers flew to fight the Japanese Imperial Army in China and assist the Nationalist forces there in World War II.
The Indian Aviation Brigade is now equipped with Chinook helicopters, which can move US-made light howitzers and soldiers rapidly across mountains. It also has Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicles that broadcast real-time images of the adversary round the clock.
“Chinooks are a game changer,” said Major Karthik, a pilot in the newly formed brigade. “They offer maneuverability and maneuverability like never before – troops and artillery cannons can be moved quickly from one mountain ridge to another.”
Preparation goes beyond just shoes and new equipment. Engineers in India are excavating the world’s longest two-lane tunnel, which rises 13,000 feet (4,000 m) above sea level and passes under an important mountain pass, extending 317 kilometers to the currently disputed border. Can be reached by road.
tactical tunnel
Col Prakshit Mehra, a project director of the tunnel, said the construction was premature and the structure would be commissioned by next June. “Currently clearing the snow of the pass requires a massive effort, and even then only certain types of vehicles can cross it,” he said. “The tunnel will reduce travel times to hours, allowing for faster and smoother movement of troops throughout the year.”
A senior military commander, who did not wish to be identified, said the tunnel, once commissioned, ensures that India can move its troops without being traced to China.
A new road has been built near the disputed border to move troops and supplies. A second one connecting the disputed border with Bhutan’s eastern borders to the plains below is almost complete, throwing up more possibilities for military commanders.
“We are more comfortable than a few years ago,” said Major General Zubin A Minawala, commander of the Indian Army’s 5-Mountain Division.
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