Senior commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies on September 21 agreed not to send more troops to reinforce the front line to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the undemarcated border between the two.
This reality poses a huge logistical challenge for military commanders on both sides, when it comes to ensuring survival and combat capabilities for soldiers stationed at altitudes of more than 4,500 m, where oxygen and temperature are scarce.
The Indian and Chinese militaries are rushing to prepare for the upcoming period of severe weather, stepping up logistics supply activities to the Ladakh and Aksai Chin areas.
Indian transport aircraft parked at an air force base in Leh, Ladakh region, September 15.
`India’s top commanders are considering the possibility of maintaining about 30,000 troops in eastern Ladakh throughout the winter, and all measures are being taken to stockpile food, fuel and ammunition.
Zhou Chenming, a military expert in Beijing, said the Chinese army (PLA) may have an advantage in logistical support for forces on the border.
A report published by Stratfor, an intelligence and security consulting firm based in the US, on September 22 said that China has built at least 13 new military bases close to India since the clash at Doklam in 2019.
Indo-Chinese soldiers stationed along the LAC will have to endure harsh conditions when the area is almost isolated during winter.
`When winter begins, both sides have no way to fight anymore. Survival will be the top priority,` this expert said.
Chinese army transport vehicles run on a road in Tibet, September 19.
Chinese media reported that the PLA has built a number of aircraft parking lots and hospitals in cities in the Tibet Autonomous Region to connect with military outposts along the border with India.
PLA Daily once reported that the Chinese Air Force converted Y-9 transport aircraft into flying hospitals to support medical care for soldiers, and at the same time practiced using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for transportation.
Print newspaper, based in New Delhi, said the types of supplies transferred by the Indian army to the border included special winter clothes, specialized tents, food and fuel so that border guards could survive.
Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, a military expert in New Delhi, said that both India and China did not withdraw their troops despite understanding that the confrontation in the winter months would become a `war of attrition`.
`Indian soldiers have been stationed at Siachin in Ladakh for several years and are used to the difficulties ahead. If China tries to change the status quo by force, it will be met with a suitable response. The Indian Army is prepared.`
Location of clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers in recent months.
Tensions along the LAC have been rising for months, despite efforts to find a diplomatic, military and political solution, including talks in Moscow in early September between officials from the two countries.
The two countries’ militaries deployed tens of thousands of soldiers along the LAC after the bloodiest clash in decades on June 15.
Hannah