Indian Army remains on high alert in Eastern Ladakh as deadlock with China drags on

• The Indian Army continues to remain on high alert in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) against China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.
• However, one internal brigade has been pulled from the North East due to an improvement in its security region.
• According to Naravane, the collusive threat posed by China and Pakistan is no longer just theoretical but a ground reality.

The Indian Army is on high alert not only in Eastern Ladakh but across the northern border with China, according to Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

"We have gone into a winter deployment situation... We (India and China) will reach amicable solutions. However, we are ready to meet any eventuality," he told the press on January 12. "The first biggest challenge was COVID-19 and the next was the situation at the northern border."

However, one brigade has been pulled from internal duties in the North East due to an improvement in the security situation of the region. “We would be able to move one or two more brigades and hand over law and order to the police and paramilitary forces,” said Naravane.

But, it’s not only China that India is worried about. According to the Army Chief, the two-front threat posed by China and Pakistan is no longer just theoretical — the collusion between two of India’s neighbors is very much a ground reality.

The new normal along the India-China border
The deadlock against China along the shared borders of the two Asian giants has seen an uptake in troops since the Galwan Valley clash on June 15. Despite multiple rounds of discussions between the two sides, they are yet to return to the status quo. According to experts, the current situation is likely to be the new normal at the border.

“We have received directions from the government to remain in the same position where we are deployed at the friction point,” said the Army Chief. "There is no change in the deployment in the friction area in Eastern Ladakh."

Increased tensions along the border may also impact the upcoming budget. Analysts project that the budget allocation is likely to increase to meet the immediate needs of the 50,000 additional troops along the border and boost modernisation — the procurement of new weapons and vehicles.

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