India to deploy 40,000-strong force along China border

[IND151]

The Indian Cabinet committee on security (CCS) could soon grant approval to the Army’s proposal to raise a mountain strike corps along the China border.

The proposed mountain strike corps, with over 40,000 soldiers and headquartered at Panagarh in West Bengal, will for the first time give India the capability to also launch offensive action into Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in the event of a Chinese attack. The corps will have two high-altitude divisions for rapid reaction.

India has already raised two new infantry divisions at Lekhapani and Missamari in Assam in 2009-10. They are operationally tasked to defend Arunachal Pradesh.

The CCS approval would be given after the ministry of defence (MoD) gives its final clarification to certain questions raised by the finance ministry, sources said. The strike corps is expected to cost Rs62,000 crore spread over the entire 12th Plan (2012-17), a report in the Times of India said on Saturday.

The Army has proposed a mountain strike corps, two independent infantry brigades and two independent armoured brigades to plug its operational gaps along the entire line of actual control (LAC) with China, as well as to acquire offensive capabilities.

India started the catch-up game with the Chinese military and infrastructural capabilities only in the past decade, and is now furiously working to find some kind of parity with Beijing. The mountain strike corps would be a significant step towards the catching up, a senior official said.

India is also beefing up its missile and fighter capabilities along the China border in its desperate bid to catch up with a burgeoning China’s military capabilities and developed infrastructure up to the border.

Even as India plays catch up, according to the newspaper, China has built aggressive military and infrastructure capabilities. It has at least five fully-operational airbases, an extensive rail network and over 58,000-km of roads along the Indian border. This would allow China to move over 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) to the LAC, out numbering Indian forces by at least 3:1 there.

India to deploy 40,000-strong force along China border | idrw.org

 

[Omega007]

Good if GoI sanctions this proposed MSC ASAP.But I don't believe PLAGF can amass 30 divisions within just 10-15 days along the LAC.I mean LAC and TAR are not the same thing.There may be many roads in TAR but very few of them actually lead to LAC,where the terrain simply won't to build and maintain good roads.Besides,there are about 14 infantry divisions under IA eastern command earmarked for deployment along LAC in NE ,so even with 30 odd divisions,PLA won't be able to get 3:1 superiority.And here we are talking about Mountain and High Altitude Warfare,where it is the international norm that an attacker would need anywhere between 6-8:1 troop ratio (depending on the terrain and weaher conditon) in order to dislodge a well entrenched defender.In 1962,PLAGF had attained between 8 to 10:1 neumerical superiority over their IA counterparts.

 

[IND151]

Right decision by GOI

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

Good if GoI sanctions this proposed MSC ASAP.But I don't believe PLAGF can amass 30 divisions within just 10-15 days along the LAC.I mean LAC and TAR are not the same thing.There may be many roads in TAR but very few of them actually lead to LAC,where the terrain simply won't to build and maintain good roads.Besides,there are about 14 infantry divisions under IA eastern command earmarked for deployment along LAC in NE ,so even with 30 odd divisions,PLA won't be able to get 3:1 superiority.And here we are talking about Mountain and High Altitude Warfare,where it is the international norm that an attacker would need anywhere between 6-8:1 troop ratio (depending on the terrain and weaher conditon) in order to dislodge a well entrenched defender.In 1962,PLAGF had attained between 8 to 10:1 neumerical superiority over their IA counterparts.

They can mass those divisions on paper,but thats assuming indian side will just wait and watch.India can mobilize its troops too[though at a slower rate],the railway netwrok can be easily destroyed by precision strikes in case of war,and right now IAF airlift capability is superior for high altitude operations as is IAF power projection in TAR.No war happening any time soon coz both sides understand the game.Little pinpricks may happen.

 

[illusion8]

They can mass those divisions on paper,but thats assuming indian side will just wait and watch.India can mobilize its troops too[though at a slower rate],the railway netwrok can be easily destroyed by precision strikes in case of war,and right now IAF airlift capability is superior for high altitude operations as is IAF power projection in TAR.No war happening any time soon coz both sides understand the game.Little pinpricks may happen.

On paper CCP can amass 30 divisions in a months time - while India will take nearly a year to amass an equivalent force, by the time CCP musters up 30 divisions near the border India will only have 1/4th the force in that region. Again the question is can China pull 3.5 to 4 lakh troops from all it's other fronts from all its other neighbors at once. As for bombing their infrastructure, that will happen only when the war starts - so on paper they would have had considerable forces on India's door step before the bombing runs happen.

 

[Brahmos_2]

Good decision!

 

[IND151]

^^The original plan was to strengthen Indian position along Sino-India border with 90,000 soldiers including mountain corps

May be another divisions consisting of rest 50,000 soldiers will follow over coming years

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

On paper CCP can amass 30 divisions in a months time - while India will take nearly a year to amass an equivalent force, by the time CCP musters up 30 divisions near the border India will only have 1/4th the force in that region. Again the question is can China pull 3.5 to 4 lakh troops from all it's other fronts from all its other neighbors at once. As for bombing their infrastructure, that will happen only when the war starts - so on paper they would have had considerable forces on India's door step before the bombing runs happen.

India can airlift large numbers of troops.
Remember any large sacle troop mobilization by china will be detected by satellites.

The bombing their infrastructure part is after the war true,but u have to supply 30 divisions in mountanous territory its nightmare,and without railways impossible.Static railway network is easy target for PGM or brahmos.
Plus atm as air forces go,IAF has advantage over plaaf in the tibet region scenario as most plaaf aircarft/awacs are unsuited for high altitude aircarft and lack advanced recon capability.

 

[kaykay]

^^The original plan was to strengthen Indian position along Sino-India border with 90,000 soldiers including mountain corps

May be another divisions consisting of rest 50,000 soldiers will follow over coming years

bro ain't 2 mountain divisions already raised back in 2011....if i am not wrong then they already have been deployed there.
Indian Army has two new mountain divisions in northeast

 

[kurup]

Good news !!!

 

[djsjs]

frankly,no difference deploying 40000 or 4000 or 400 soldiers along the border.
firstly, there wont be a war in a decade or two.
secondly,Himalaya is a great natural barrier that can stop anypowerful army

 

[SirHatesALot]

frankly,no difference deploying 40000 or 4000 or 400 soldiers along the border.
firstly, there wont be a war in a decade or two.
secondly,Himalaya is a great natural barrier that can stop anypowerful army

who will tell this to internet warriors.

 

[Brahmos_2]

India can airlift large numbers of troops.
Remember any large sacle troop mobilization by china will be detected by satellites.

The bombing their infrastructure part is after the war true,but u have to supply 30 divisions in mountanous territory its nightmare,and without railways impossible.Static railway network is easy target for PGM or brahmos.
Plus atm as air forces go,IAF has advantage over plaaf in the tibet region scenario as most plaaf aircarft/awacs are unsuited for high altitude aircarft and lack advanced recon capability.

Brahmos will take-care of the chinese infra.

 

[kaykay]

current indian troops strength along chinese border.
4th corps(3 divisions,Tejpur).
3 corps(2 divisions, Dimapur).
34 corps(3 divisions,sikkim).
14th corps(2 divisions,leh).
And 2 more newly formed mountain divisions will be under 4th and 3rd corps.
Total strength= 12 divisions(including 1 infantry division and 11 mountain divisions.)

 

[djsjs]

current indian troops strength along chinese border.
4th corps(3 divisions,Tejpur).
3 corps(2 divisions, Dimapur).
34 corps(3 divisions,sikkim).
14th corps(2 divisions,leh).
And 2 more newly formed mountain divisions will be under 4th and 3rd corps.
Total strength= 12 divisions(including 1 infantry division and 11 mountain divisions.)

the point is-ARE YOU FEELING SAFE?
for most Chinese,we feel very SAFE no matter how many troops you deploy there.