The Indian Army on Wednesday said it is fully prepared and more than capable for fighting a full-fledged war on the icy Himalayan heights of eastern Ladakh even in winters where the Chinese troops have created a volatile situation.

The first ever statement issued by the Udhampur based Indian Army’s Northern Command on the long stretched standoff between the two armies in eastern Ladakh drew comparison of morale of soldiers and its preparedness with that of the Chinese Army that is standing eyeball to eyeball with the Indian troops.

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The Northern Command looks after the borders in J&K and Ladakh union territories (UTs) and its top brass has held series of talks with their Chinese counterparts for defusing the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

A spokesman of the Northern command said; “China’s concept has always been to win the Wars without fighting, hence if they create conditions for 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 is visible in Chinese media”.

India is a peace loving country and wishes to have good relations with its neighbours. India always prefers to resolve issues through dialogue. While talks are in progress to resolve the issue of borders with China in Eastern Ladakh, at military level it is well prepared for the prolonged standoff. Indian Army is fully prepared and more than capable for fighting a full-fledged war even in winters in Eastern Ladakh.

“Altitudes in Ladakh range from High to Super High Altitudes and there is a lot of snow fall, after the month of November upto 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”.

Referring to the Chinese official media organization, Global Times, the spokesman said it “reports that India’s Operational Logistics is not geared up adequately and will not be able to fight through winters effectively. This can best be attributed to ignorance. Indian Army is fully prepared and more than capable for fighting a full-fledged war even in winters in Eastern Ladakh”.

“Logistic capability relates to mobility, habitat and billeting, quality services from health, special rations, repair and recovery, heating systems, high quality weapons, ammunition, quality clothing, and so on. 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 aggression”, the spokesman said.

“It is important to understand that the Indian Army has experience of 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 spokesman added.

“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 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. China’s concept has always been to win the Wars without fighting, hence if they create conditions for 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 is visible in Chinese media”, the Northern Command stated.