Amid the stand-off with Chinese troops, the Indian Army has planned a massive build-up in Sikkim to counter any misadventures of Beijing. Sources said the Army will open several helicopter bases in Sikkim and nearby areas for housing Dhruv and Rudra helicopters to boost military strength in the region.
Apart from the helicopter bases, the Indian Army has recently increased the number of troops in the region which is marked by Chinese authorities and experts for the ongoing stand-off. Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has reviewed the military preparedness in the areas for the second time in the last fortnight. On Thursday, General Rawat arrived in Sikkim to take stock of operations and interacted with top commanders in formation headquarters in the border state.
Troops of both the countries have been engaged in a major stand-off for a month at Doka La as China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) brought in construction equipment and set up labor camps for road construction. India sent reinforcements and deployed more troops in the region. In retaliation, the PLA destroyed two Indian bunkers in the Lalten area of Doka La sector.
“The incident is (part of) a policy continuum. China ensures that there is stability at the strategic level and keeps India engaged politically, diplomatically and militarily at the tactical level. It will be resolved in two weeks,” Gurmeet Kanwal, distinguished fellow at the Delhi-based Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, told Sputnik.
China termed General Rawat’s remarks that India is ready for a two-and-a-half front war “irresponsible”. “Such rhetoric is extremely irresponsible. We hope that the particular person in the Indian Army could learn from history lessons and stop such clamoring for war,” Col Wu Qian, the PLA spokesman, said on Thursday. General Rawat said that India is prepared for security threats posed by China, Pakistan as well as internal threats.
Today’s Beijing in response to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, who said last week that India today is very different from what it was in 1962, when the countries fought a war over Arunachal Pradesh.
“He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Geng Shuang.
Source:-Sputnik News
The post India Army Ready Beefs Up Military Presence Ready to engage with China appeared first on Indian Defence Update.
from Indian Defence Update http://ift.tt/2tiWCET
via IFTTT
No comments: