Cover Story
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Transformation
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Indian Army alone cannot meet the twin threats of Pakistan and China |
T-90 tanks during Exercise Sudarshan Shakti
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Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab
After half a century, the Indian Army (IA) is once again radically increasing
its numbers. Both times it was to cater for threat from China. After the 1962
rout, six new divisions were raised; two infantry and four mountain divisions,
and the Officer Training Academy in Madras were established. Now, between 2009
and 2011, the IA raised two mountain divisions and the third artillery division,
and a new Officers Training Academy has been set up in Gaya. A corps
headquarters and two more mountain divisions will be raised in the 12th defence
plan (2012 to 2017). Huge amounts will be spent on building infrastructure,
accommodation, equipment and ammunition storage facilities against China.
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And by the 14th defence plan (2022 to 2027), the IA hopes to have its first air assault division; 54 mountain division has been earmarked for this role. The once-again threat from China provokes two pertinent questions: What happened to post-1962 preparedness? And, is India bracing itself enough this time to dissuade adversaries from military adventurism, and fight a successful war, if needed?
For 14 years after the ignominious 1962 debacle, India had no relations with China. After the Chinese unilateral troops’ withdrawal from Indian territories, a 320km Line of Actual Control (LAC) came up in Ladakh where the IA had given a reasonable account of itself. The eastern sector, called McMahon Line, where the IA performed abysmally, remained a ‘frontier’ rather than a ‘border.’ The word ‘frontier’ denotes the limit of a nation’s political and military influence, while ‘border’ is defined as the territorial limit of national sovereignty. While diplomatic relations were restored with China in 1976, domestic political upheavals delayed the initiation of a military build-up against China until 1980 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi returned to power. |
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