India has urgently purchased high-altitude war kits from the United States, officials with knowledge of the matter said, a sign that the South Asian nation is bracing for a prolonged winter deployment after talks to ease tensions in its border with China stalled.
The Indian Army used an agreement allowing the two armies to receive mutual logistical assistance, such as purchasing fuel and spare parts for warships and aircraft, for the transaction, said the officials, who asked not to be identified given the rules for speaking with the media. . The Logistics Exchange Memorandum Agreement signed in August 2016 aims to promote interoperability between the two armies.
The worst confrontation between Asia’s neighbors in four decades has led India and China to move thousands of troops, tanks and missiles to the disputed Himalayan border, while warplanes are on standby. The rush to acquire the equipment shows that the situation will last into winter. Troops face 15,000 feet, with temperatures dropping to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit).
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, pledged in September to ease tensions along the 3,488-kilometer (2,167-mile) limit known as the Royal Line of Control.
The military and diplomatic talks on troop withdrawal are “a work in progress,” Jaishankar told investors and analysts at the Bloomberg India Economic Summit on Thursday.
India until now obtained high altitude kits for its defense forces mainly from Europe or China. SK Saini, the second highest ranking general in the Indian Army, is on a scheduled visit to the United States Army Pacific Command to discuss other emergency purchasing and construction capabilities.
The Indian Army did not comment on the high-altitude war kits, but confirmed the visit of one of its top generals to the United States. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
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