- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA recently deployed the US-made weaponry it acquired along its border with China as part of a new move to boost its capabilities as the two nuclear-armed neighbours continue to engage over their border dispute in the Himalayas.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the military build-up in India’s northeastern part is centred on the Tawang Plateau adjoining Bhutan and Tibet, a piece of land which is claimed by China.
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India’s troops will now be supported by Chinook helicopters, ultra-light towed howitzers and rifles manufactured by the US besides domestically produced supersonic cruise missiles and a new-age surveillance mechanism. India has acquired the weapons in the past few years as its defence ties with the US have strengthened because of China’s growing assertiveness.
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Last week, Indian military officials took a group of mediapersons through the region to highlight the country’s new offensive capabilities. Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Pande said boots, armour, artillery and air support were being combined to ensure that the forces were “agile, lean and mean” and could be employed quicker, the Bloomberg report added.
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“The Mountain Strike Corps is fully operationalized,” he said, adding, “All units including combat and combat support units are fully raised and equipped.”
India and China had their worst clashes in decades last year that saw deaths of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese personnel. The two sides have met over a dozen times but no agreement has been reached yet over withdrawing from the deadlock.
Experts feel India’s military deployment makes evident New Delhi’s frustration over the lack of progress on talks with Beijing. Rajeshwari Pillai Rajagopalan, director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, told Bloomberg, “That we are looking at a second winter engaged at the border explains why India needs to work on building its capabilities and infrastructure at the border and source more equipment from partners like the US.”
India’s concerns have been deepened by a new boundary law that China has passed recently which Beijing termed a “unified standard for strengthening border management”. New Delhi feels the new law could affect the ongoing tensions at the border though Beijing has rubbished it as “undue speculation”.
Most of India’s fresh forces have gone to the east, where a formation of at least 30,000 troops have been deployed over the past year. The Narendra Modi government doesn’t want India to face yet another 1962-like situation when New Delhi was left humiliated by Beijing in a war.
The Indian Army has modern military hardware which makes it feel more confident in tackling China. A pilot in the army, for instance, told Bloomberg that the Chinook helicopters are a game changer as they offer great mobility and maneuverability which allows quick transportation of troops and artillery from one mountain ridge to another.
India is also digging the world’s longest two-lane tunnel, which is 13,000 feet (4,000 metres) above the sea level and runs below a critical mountain pass which is accessible by a meandering road measuring 317 kilometres (197 miles) to the disputed border with China.
