Prepared to fight a full-fledged war in winters in Ladakh: Army

Arun Joshi
Jammu, September 16

The Indian Army has drawn comparisons between its preparedness and capacity to weather the extreme conditions in the icy Himalayan heights and declared that it is “well prepared for the prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh” where PLA troops have created an explosive situation.

A spokesman of the Northern Command said: “Altitudes in Ladakh range from High to Super High Altitude and there is a lot of snowfall, after the month of November up to 40 feet of snow is experienced. Coupled with this, temperature dipping down to minus 30-40 degrees is a usual phenomenon. Wind chill factor makes matters further worse for the troops. The roads also get closed due to the snow. But despite all this, most encouraging part for India is that the Indian soldiers have a huge experience of winter warfare and are psychologically tuned to operate at short notice. While this fact is known to the world, the operational logistics capabilities are hardly known.”

Rebutting China’s state media, particularly Global Times, that the Indian Army would not be able to withstand the harsh conditions in Ladakh heights, the spokesman said that it can be best attributed to the “ignorance” of Chinese media.

“The Indian Army is fully prepared and more than capable of fighting a full-fledged war even in winters in Eastern Ladakh.”

The spokesperson said that logistic capability relates to mobility, habitat and billeting, quality services from health, special rations, repair and recovery, heating systems, high-quality weapons, ammunition and quality clothing. While much of this capability existed earlier and troops could simply plug and play, a lot has also been boosted since May this year when China showed first signs of aggression.

The Indian Army has experience in Siachen where conditions are much more demanding than the frontiers with China. Traditionally there were two routes for moving into Ladakh, that is through Zojila and Rohtang Passes.

Recently, India commissioned the third road from Darcha to Leh which is much shorter distance-wise and less prone to closure. Completion of Atal tunnel on the Rohtang route has force multiplied the logistic capacities.

“In addition, we have a large number of air bases with the help of which we can maintain the army well. Modern snow clearing equipment has also been placed on these routes to keep them open beyond November, thus giving us more time for daily maintenance of the troops,” the spokesperson said.

Special fuel and lubricants for tanks and armoured personnel carriers have also been “stocked adequately, including spares for their maintenance”. Water points and tube wells have been established for the troops and animals like mules and yaks. The living barracks have also been prepared which are comfortable and warm. Facilities such as the central heating system are some of the high points of these facilities. Ammunition of various types including small arms, missiles and tank and artillery ammunition have also been adequately stocked. The medical system is also in place for any eventuality.

Compared to Indian troops that are battle-hardened physically and psychologically, Chinese troops are mostly from urban areas and not used to hardships or prolonged deployment under field conditions, the spokesperson said.

“China’s concept has always been to win wars without fighting; hence if they create conditions for a war, they will come across a better trained, better prepared, rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops. These worries have been percolating the minds of Chinese troops and are visible in Chinese media,” the spokesperson added.