A massive upgrade of infrastructure and military capabilities is under way along the disputed India-China border in a bid to be prepared for any misadventures from the other side.
To this end, a huge jump in military strength along the border is under way. While a decision to locate Sukhoi-30 fighters at Tezpur from June 2009 has already been announced, the Indian Air Force (IAF) may also beef up its presence in the Chabua airbase and maintain heli-lift capabilities in other parts of the north-east.
For decades since the 1962 war, India had officially decided not to develop its border with China fearing that it would provide easy access to invading Chinese troops. A few years ago, that policy was junked and India plunged into an aggressive development of its border infrastructure.
It is now reactivating several airstrips built during World War II or the 1962 war and abandoned later. On May 31 this year, the IAF reactivated the world’s highest airstrip, at Daulat Beg Oldie in Ladakh, originally built during the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The strip, close to the Karakoram pass, is capable of landing AN-32 transport aircraft.
Several other advanced landing grounds, such as Fukche, Chushul and Nyama have also been made functional. “The logistics disasters of 1962 will never be repeated,” says an air force officer, referring to India’s inability at the time to provide support to its army in the
frontlines.
India has also been trying to quickly catch up with China in building all-weather connectivity almost up to the last post, essential for a strong response to any Chinese misadventure, say many within the military leadership. “They are much ahead
of us in infrastructure, but we are fast catching up,” said a military source. A large network of roads is also being built; over 30 major new road links are in progress, besides several smaller strips.
In the north-east, the army is raising two divisions, with 15,000 to 30,000 soldiers. They would add strength to the defence of the Arunachal Pradesh border, especially Tawang, which China is very keen to reclaim.
“We did exhibit our ability to carry out swift beefing-up of deployment during Operation Falcon in 1986-87,” says a senior army officer. Operation Falcon refers to India’s troop movement during the standoff with China at Sumdorong Chu. raising the country’s third artillery division along the northeast border, with Bofors howitzers and indigenously manufactured Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers.
The absence of noise from the military leadership on the alleged Chinese incursions is because India wants to be discreet about its build-up, so as not to spark off any unnecessary complications between the Asian giants.
Military leaders also insist that though India may not match up to China in numbers, it is capable of responding well in the event of a major skirmish. “We are not the army of 1962. We have a competent presence, and technologically we are superior on many fronts,” says a former commander of an army corps deployed along the northeast, an opinion shared by many senior army officers.
“I don’t frankly see any change in the situation along the border. But, hypothetically, if it came to a military confrontation, we are confident of our capabilities,” a senior officer in the army headquarters said.
