Army, IAF prepare for ‘summer posture’ along border with China

Indian Army and IAF commanders on Tuesday began a comprehensive review of the operational situation, military preparedness and war-gaming strategies along the northern borders with China. 

Army chief General M M Naravane will join the three-day session at the Central Command in Lucknow on Wednesday. Army vice chief Lt-Gen Manoj Pande as well as the heads of the different army and IAF commands responsible for the entire 3,488-km LAC, stretching from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal, have already begun the deliberations. 

“Gen Naravane will also review the deployment of formations along the northern as well as the western[Pakistan] borders, while they are transitioning from the winter to summer posture. China will be the main focus area, with a detailed assessment of its military posture and force-levels,” an official said on Tuesday.

Latest assessments show the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has kept 45,000 to 50,000 troops “forward deployed” along the Ladakh frontier, with another 10,000-12,000 troops positioned in the eastern sector of the LAC, while consolidating its military positions and upgrading all its air bases facing India.

India is also keeping a close watch on the PLA’s annual summer exercises that are beginning now. It was during such exercises that PLA troops had made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh to catch Indian forces off-guard in May 2020.

Since then, India has rebalanced additional forces and firepower towards the LAC, with the primary focus decisively shifting from the western Pakistan front to the China front.