India redirects 50,000 additional troops in ‘offensive defence’ response at Ladakh border

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China denies seizing Indian soldiers. (Photo courtesy: dw)

(TibetanReview.net, Jun28’21) – Ahead of the 12th military level talks between the two sides on the Ladakh border faceoff, India has made a strategic move to redirect 50,000 additional troops as a step to ensure an offensive military posture against China. And China has been busy adding military infrastructure, building more ammunition dumps holding ever more war drills across occupied Tibet side of the border, according to several media reports Jun 28.

Whereas previously India’s military presence was aimed at blocking Chinese moves, the redeployment will allow Indian commanders more options to attack and seize territory in China if necessary in a strategy known as “offensive defence,” said a timesofindia.com report Jun 28 sourced from Bloomberg, citing an official source.

While it’s unclear how many troops China has on the border, India detected that the People’s Liberation Army recently moved additional forces from Tibet to the Xinjiang Military Command, which is responsible for patrolling disputed areas along the Himalayas, the report noted.

New PLA training facilities were also reported to have been spotted coming up in occupied Tibet. And new dumps have been built in Rudok, Tashigong, Shiqhanhe and Kanxiwar, reported timesnownews.com Jun 28.

China was also reported to be adding fresh runway buildings, bomb-proof bunkers to house fighter jets and new airfields along the disputed border in occupied Tibet. Beijing was also reported to be adding long-range artillery, tanks, rocket regiments and twin-engine fighters in the last few months.

China’s Ministry of Defense said more than 100 military tactical exercises had been conducted this year, with substantially higher levels of ammunition than previous maneuvers.

the drills, held at high altitudes, exceeding 12,000 feet above sea level — dubbed the “Peak of the Snowy Region 202″—were record-breaking in their scope. They included combat training, as well as training troops to use science and technology and high-altitude fighting, newsweek.com Jun 24 cited Col. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, as saying.

Referring to the dangers posed by these developments, DS Hooda, a lieutenant general and former Northern Army commander in India, has said, “Having so many soldiers on either side is risky when border management protocols have broken down.”

This is because “both sides are likely to patrol the disputed border aggressively. A small local incident could spiral out of control with unintended consequences.”

Several recent rounds of military-diplomatic talks with China have made minimal progress toward a return to the quiet status quo that had prevailed along the border for decades, the report noted.

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