Chandigarh: Rival armies of India and China locked in an intractable standoff along the disputed Royal Line of Control (LAC) since May, are now positioning themselves for their harsh winter deployment at forbidden altitudes in the desolate Himalayan region of Ladakh, the tallest and fiercest in the world. a bit of desert.
Senior Indian army officials said that in addition to remaining vigilant at altitudes of more than 13,000 feet or more, the two armies are furiously preparing to combat, until April 2021, the harsh and unforgiving environment in which temperatures have already dropped. well below zero degrees Celsius in parts.
To counter that cold and temperatures that will shortly average minus 25 degrees Celsius, before dropping further in the mountainous areas above minus 40 degrees, China has provided its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops with prefabricated thermal shelters in an environment. where even the slightest oversight can be fatal.
According to the UK Jane’s Defense Weekly (JDW), he Daily PLA had reported that these thermally insulated habitats, developed by the Army Engineering University, comprise bedrooms, bathrooms, bathrooms, warehouses, microgrids, and heating equipment. The latter, the Diary stated it is capable of handling temperatures down to minus 55 degrees while maintaining an interior temperature of 15 degrees Celsius.
October 9th JDW The report goes on to reveal that such PLA facilities, which have been in use at outposts on the Tibetan plateau and surrounding mountainous areas for the past two years, can be adjusted in terms of size, structure and interior spaces to meet the needs of the soldier. .
Quoting from Daily PLA, JDW claims that these shelters can reduce dependence on long-distance fuel distribution, while the additional heat can be supplemented with diesel heaters to cope with rainy and snowy conditions, as well as extreme low temperatures. The prestigious magazine further stated that PLA personnel deployed in this region against the Indian army had also received a variety of ‘new high-tech’ clothing to combat the cold, but did not provide details on the number of Chinese troops in the area.
Army sources, however, said they added around 50,000 PLA troops, adding that logistically these troops had a “topographical advantage” with respect to the terrain and, unlike the Indian side, their outposts were served by a network. of asphalt roads that crossed the Tibetan. plateau. This network made the transport of troops, materiel, ammunition, and other essential items, such as food, much less cumbersome, faster, and cheaper for the PLA.
Soldiers load supplies onto an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at a forward air base in Leh, Ladakh region, on September 15, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Danish Siddiqui
Well-equipped PLA posts throughout LAC are also likely to be fully electrified soon. the Global timesA spokesman for the Communist Party of China recently stated that the China State Grid Corporation was scheduled to complete a mega power project in the region by December by laying a 1,689 km long transmission line. Costing more than $ 1.1 billion, this arterial link connected China’s national power grid with Ngari Prefecture in Tibet’s westernmost area bordering LAC.
Unlike the PLA, the Indian Army had significant transportation problems and infrastructure disadvantages in the form of roads and hostile terrain to service its dizzying outposts throughout LAC. He obtained most of his necessities, including food, fuel, oil and lubricants from the plains, and transported them through an endless fleet of civilian and military trucks that traveled to Ladakh throughout the summer, augmented by supplies carried by the Force. Indian Air (IAF). ) heavy lift aircraft like C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J-30 Super Hercules at astronomical cost.
In its LAC deployment of around 40,000 troops spread over 250-300 km of LAC, the army draws on the experiences accumulated over 36 years of handling the 17,000-foot-high Siachen Glacier, which has the additional dangers of avalanches and slopes. slippery, they are not in Ladakh.
But the overwhelming challenges facing the military in its winter deployment throughout LAC remain formidable.
“Although the perception of threat from China always existed, it remained in the background and we never acted on it or took any corrective action to avoid it,” said military analyst, Major General AP Singh (retired) who has served in Ladakh. Now that it has emerged abruptly, we are struggling to settle for what we have to meet our extended winter rollout across LAC, he added with resignation.
Meanwhile, the army’s Enhanced Winter Stocking (EWS) is currently in an advanced stage of stockpiling thousands of tons of assorted supplies, including ammunition, in Leh, from where these products are pushed further to logistics nodes, either on board. by trucks or helicopters and even by mules and porters to more remote areas. “In places like Ladakh, logistics is of great importance,” Major General Arvind Kapoor, chief of staff of the Leh-based XIV Army Corps, said recently. Reuters. In the last 20 years, we’ve mastered it and all the supplies we need have already been shipped where they are needed, he added.
Army engineers are also building a variety of imported Arctic tents for three to five soldiers and assorted locally sourced prefabricated isolated huts to accommodate six to 20 soldiers each. All homes are equipped with kerosene-fired Bukhari or special heaters, without which it would be impossible to exist, while rushed imports of high-altitude clothing and mountaineering equipment are taking place, mainly from Europe, at a high cost. Hundreds of useful Siachen garments that were previously worn are being transferred to formations now located throughout LAC.
An Apache helicopter of the Indian Air Force is seen in the Ladakh region on September 17, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Danish Siddiqui
In addition, prefabricated bathrooms and toilets are also being built, which are unlikely to be used much, if at all, due to severe water shortages, and kitchens. Officials who have been stationed in the area said the rocky terrain, limited spaces and fierce winds carrying deadly sand particles make it difficult to mount larger structures similar to those of the PLA. Semi-permanent brick-and-mortar constructions were simply out of the question, as their cement, if applied now, would only dry out the following summer, Gen Singh said, adding that it is difficult to even remotely imagine the extreme adversities that US troops will face. army imminently. throughout LAC.
Water for drinking, basic daily use and also for cooking will be in short supply as many rivers and tributaries in the area are already freezing and unlike Siachen where snow can melt this option is limited throughout. of ALC. Furthermore, the water in Lake Pangong and other large bodies of water scattered throughout the desolate region is brackish and undrinkable.
Army officers also anticipate an additional workload on the Army Medical Corps (AMC) in anticipation of a number of potential high-altitude complications among Soldiers, such as pulmonary and brain edema and wasting related to hypothermia. Equally debilitating problems like frostbite, high blood pressure, nosebleeds, hypertension, and respiratory conditions are not uncommon at these heights, either. Consequently, it will be necessary to increase the number of AMC teams per battalion, consisting of doctors and nurses.
And while the PLA troops will also withstand the same punitive environment, their better living conditions will give them an overall advantage over their Indian rivals, despite the latter being widely recognized as more resilient and more experienced in mountain warfare in compared to their Chinese adversaries.
The PLA, for its part, last fought a four-week war with Vietnam in 1979, in which it turned out worse. Thereafter, after a gap of more than four decades, he finds himself, for the first time today, locked in a confrontation with a ‘real’ enemy with a comparable army in totally inhospitable conditions that pose an overwhelming threat to his men and machines. .
It remains to be seen how proficient he will come out of this ordeal next summer.
.
