South Asia and Beyond

10,000 More Permanent Troops Likely For LAC

 10,000 More Permanent Troops Likely For LAC

SOMEWHERE IN LADAKH: In the wake of China’s aggression in eastern Ladakh, the deployment of additional forces is well underway. But first, a quick look at the current force status.

While 8 Mountain Division has been tasked to look after the LoC since 1999, post the Kargil conflict, an entire brigade, directly under the control of 14 Corps headquarters in Leh, continues to guard the Saltoro ridge that overlooks the Siachen Glacier. However, until the current standoff began, the Karu-headquartered 3 Infantry Division was responsible for security of the entire eastern Ladakh LAC with China. Since mid-May, however, as additional forces were rushed in, the Northern Command has reassessed and reviewed the need for permanent deployment of some of those forces in eastern Ladakh.

It is likely that in the long term, another division (about 10,000 troops) will now be deployed in Ladakh to share the burden of guarding the LAC along with 3 Infantry Division. With the Chinese military challenge showing signs of increasing with time, that’s the minimum the Indian Army will have to cater for to bolster Ladakh’s defence. As we saw firsthand, work has already begun to house additional forces not just through the current winter but on a long-term basis.

Lower formation headquarters have staged forward closer to the LAC, locations for their permanent billeting have been identified and earmarked. Fortunately, Ladakh does not have a shortage of vacant, uninhabited parcels of land.

Nitin A Gokhale WhatsApp Channel

This additional division, which used to train in high-altitude areas of Ladakh as part of its dual tasking until early this year (thereafter returning to its peacetime locations outside Ladakh), packs a powerful punch. It has a special forces component and of course trained in mountain warfare troops.

The 14 Corps in charge of Ladakh also fields an independent armoured brigade with a mix of Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs), T-72 and T-90 tanks. The armoured regiments—strung along vital points on the LAC—provide deterrence not witnessed in eastern Ladakh earlier. Some of those T-72s, as reported earlier, are also deployed on the Kailash range heights, Rechin La and Rezang La since August 30. That was the day when tanks were driven up to the peaks in the Chushul sector for the first time, following up on an infantry deployment. The Chinese subsequently brought in their Type-99 tanks, creating a unique situation where opposing armoured forces are stationed less than 400 metres from each other. Fortunately, the tank barrels on both sides are turned backwards.

It needs to be noted that these additional forces would have perhaps been deployed in Ladakh may be two-three years down the line once adequate infrastructure had been built. India has been building up troop strength gradually since 2013 when a short standoff had occurred at Depsang. An additional brigade pulled out from Kashmir valley was inducted in the DBO sector in the wake of that crisis. Similar plans were afoot for the next three years but China’s belligerence has ensured that India has compressed its military plans.

Meanwhile, the current military stalemate that has ensued in Ladakh is sought to be broken through talks at the Corps Commanders level. Another round—eighth in the series—is likely soon but that is not stopping Indian decision-makers from preparing for the long haul and ordering additional permanent deployment in Ladakh.

Nitin A. Gokhale

Left to himself, Nitin A. Gokhale would rather watch films and sports matches but his day job as a media entrepreneur, communications specialist, analyst and author, leaves him little time to indulge in his primary interests. Gokhale in fact started his career in journalism in 1983 as a sports reporter. Since then he has, in the past 41 years, traversed the entire spectrum across print, broadcast and digital space. One of South Asia's leading strategic analysts, Gokhale has moved on from conventional media to become an independent media entrepreneur running three niche digital platforms—BharatShakti, StratNewsGlobal and Interstellar—besides undertaking consultancy and training workshops in communications for military institutions, corporates and individuals. Now better known for his conflict coverage and strategic analyses, Gokhale has lived and reported from India’s North-east for 23 years between 1983 and 2006, been on the ground at Kargil in the summer of 1999 and also brought us live coverage from Sri Lanka’s Eelam War IV between 2006-2009.    An alumni of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawaii, Gokhale now writes, lectures and analyses security and strategic matters in Indo-Pacific and travels regularly to US, Europe, Australia, South and South-East Asia to take part in various seminars and conferences. Gokhale is also a popular visiting faculty at India’s Defence Services Staff College, the three war colleges, India's National Defence College, College of Defence Management and the IB’s intelligence school.

Related