For too long Delhi’s policymakers have watched idly as China’s military prowess has grown, says Nitin Gokhale. Not anymore.
Last May, just days before India’s general election results were announced, the country’s highest policy making body for security matters was convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Its mandate: Find ways of enabling India’s military to take on an increasingly powerful (and belligerent) China.
At the end of a marathon meeting, the Cabinet Committee on Security initiated a comprehensive, well-funded plan to bolster India’s land, air and naval forces to counter China’s rising military prowess. The plan is historic, coming after years of dithering by an Indian establishment seemingly paralysed by memories of the country’s humiliating defeat at the hands of the Chinese in a brief but brutal war in 1962.
Since the CCS plan was launched, there have been significant and wide-ranging signs that Indian policymakers are finally willing to realistically assess possible military responses to China’s rise. One clear example is a new division of troops aimed exclusively at the border region of the two great powers. India is now mid-way through raising two mountain divisions for the north-eastern border area with China, with the two divisions pencilled in to be ready for deployment by the middle of next year.
The goal is to plug existing gaps in India’s preparedness along the Arunachal Pradesh-China frontier, and the two divisions, consisting of about 20,000 well-armed troops, will include a squadron of India’s armoured spearhead—Soviet-built T-90 tanks and a regiment of artillery. They will be backed by enhanced command, control, communications and intelligence (C4I) capabilities aimed at covering the Tibet region.
But that’s certainly not all.
The Indian Air Force has over the past year deployed 36 Su-30MKI, its most advanced multi-role fighter aircraft, to Tezpur in the country’s north-east in response to the People's Liberation Army Air Force's seven airbases in Tibet and southern China.
Meanwhile, the Indian Navy is working to counter the growing clout of the PLA Navy. The current thinking at Indian naval headquarters is that China will move to aggressively increase its presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to secure its extended energy supply lines (despite its name, military planners in Beijing don’t feel India has ownership of this expanse of water).
As a consequence, the Indian Navy’s plans are based on the premise that it needs to be a fully-networked and flexible force capable of meeting any ‘out of area’ contingency. Successive Indian naval chiefs since 2004 have spoken about the need for the Navy to have ‘longer sea legs’ by 2020 and to be capable of influencing the outcome of land battles. The importance of the Navy’s role was underscored during the 1999 Kargil skirmish between India and Pakistan, when the Indian Navy played a crucial but silent role in blockading Pakistan’s sea lanes, putting Islamabad under significant pressure to end the conflict quickly.
Photo Credit: Indian Air Force
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Soumya
@quang you are talking very immaturely. For the centuries our beloved martyrs fought against british to libarate country. We bear the bloods of them in vein. China will never attack india. Coz there is a very littld gap between indian & chinise army. And if attacked they will be taught an important lesson along side pakistan.
Jayant
Quang- First you people look your in house problems and then think to conquer about INDIA. Just see in history and don’t forget. Many like you had come saying they’re the lord and rulers of INDIA. But at last can’t able to batter INDIA and had left our soil. Even don’t think in your dream also. Because Indian soil is blessed by lord Tridev (Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva) i.e. – Creator, Custodian & Destroyer No one is born in this universe (Brahmand) to destroy India. Mind it..
kev
china wil have no answer to upgraded Su 30MKI with brahmos missile….no country in the world has a defence mechanism to stop it
Subodh Kumar
Hey Quang,
Put your own house in order first, then think about taming India. And, for a good period of time in the history, you’ve been miserable in comparison to India which in most of the ages flourished as the centre of world trade and commerce.
For you it will be better to take care of the Pakistani terrorists rising their head in northern China, than to bother about India.
Quang
China is the world’s strongest superpower, evn gr8r thdn india’s godfather amerika. British pet india shd accept china as their new lord and accept all our demands else it will be a doomsday for india!
Pinki
Try to play with India…you will be taught a good lesson…it will be trying to play with FIRE.
Aishken
You recived so many good things from India, if you dont have anything to give back useful…just keep silent. Weapons of mass destruction are not deciding the winning situation. it is the truth,…so think of this firt. Your country is so big with massive population,,,defintely you have enough resources. So dont fight fot it. Let our planet earth be colorfull with all kinds of cultures, moral values etc….
If you dont care anything all those and still want fight with india….we ready for anything….
Rahul
Well people please fight the corruption around you before fighting other nations.
Anupam
Yes.!………… But how ? Do u guys still think tht Anna’s policy of AHINSA will help
chandrakant
china cant even defeat vietnam in 1979 war. how china dare to bother india that is way more power than vietnam
thearms1000
A nation filled with corruption and terrorist I think will be quite easy to defeat.