The subject we bring under discussion is defence preparedness of the country to face challenges and threats either to the homeland or to our borders and seashores. We have a long border to our north-west, north and west. Incidentally, we do not have cordial relations with two contiguous countries, namely China and Pakistan, with whom most of our northern and western borders are common. Pakistan’s bellicosity is not hidden. From the very day of independence, this country made its existence conditional to her deep anti-India animus. We have no misgiving about her inimical behaviour for another half a century onwards.
But it is our Chinese policy that has misfired because of our unreasoned complacency. Until the time of Chinese incursion in 1962 into the eastern sector, our leadership remained gripped by senseless idealism of “Sino-Indian fraternity.” Blurred in vision, they began to believe that India “had no enemies” and, therefore, she did not need building strong defence structure or mount adequate vigil on her borders. This approach, standing in total contrast to the known norms of realpolitik, discouraged our armed forces and subdued their initiative of projecting big country profile. However, once when we awoke from deep slumber and sniffed serious danger on our north-eastern border, we should have moved fast to build our military power befittingly so that we could look at our adversary with eyeball to eyeball stance. Alas, we again relapsed into complacency and again fell in the trap of procrastinated defensive-offensive inactivity. Panchsheel, the ideal moral and ethical code for the nations of the world, remains impressed for all times only on the pages of the history of negative politics. It has no takers.
True, the Leviathan of Indian democracy moves tardily. People generally don’t have the patience to understand the why and how of it. But when it moves, the movement is potent. The question is that there are some areas of state affairs that have to be dealt on priority basis and procrastination may become counter-productive. In particular, defence and border security programme is at the top of the list of these priorities. After more than six decades of procrastination and blurred vision, policy planners at the Defence Ministry have somehow shed inertia and opened eyes to stark realities looking the nation straight into its eyes. China, the rapidly rising monster, has been relentlessly pursuing the policy of fortifying her borders with India and upgrading the defence potential that poses serious challenges to our security. She has built roads, railways, bridges, tunnels and missile bases to mobilise heavy war machine right up to yards within our border in Arunachal and in Ladakh. The PLA is a huge army of skilled soldiers who are as much prepared to work as skilled labourers and infrastructural projects as to fight their adversary with latest weapons and tactical warfare training. China is a rival country with immense motivation to dominate political, economic, commercial and strategic scene in Asian Continent. She is already ahead of India in numerous areas and has become economic giant to be reckoned with. With this incredible and all round development, China has established her edge over India within the same span of time. Coveting more and more land and nibbling at the borders of her neighbours is her incorrigible habit.
In this background, the news has come that our Army Chief has laboriously identified the “hollowness” in our defence preparedness. He has held in-depth consultation with his senior commanders, and has also pulled out the old files containing periodical notes and recommendations of defence organization proposing all-round expansion and upgrading of country’s defence preparedness. We have big gaps in advanced war arsenal, heavy armament, and sophisticated communication system. Likewise, our naval and air force preparedness also needs rapid upgrading. The chiefs of three defence wings have coordinated a comprehensive presentation which the Army Chief will be making before the Prime Minister very soon to kick-start historic process of reforming, modernizing and updating our entire defence structure. The plan envisages massive 64000 crore rupees expenditure on the entire reformation plan which aims at raising a Mountain Corps with offensive capabilities along the boundary with China in the north-eastern sector. The Corp will comprise more than a hundred thousand regulars together with requisite equipment of high strike power. This is in addition to the three new divisions which the army will be raising to reinforce defence capability along the northern borders. Army Chief’s presentation will also deal with other “hollownesses” like shortage of officers in army cadres, Super Herculean transport planes for air force with greater strike and navigational power and long pending requirements of the Indian navy which is bound to be called upon to play vital role in protecting our vast shoreline in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. The Army Chief will also make presentation of new and strategic deployment of adequate troops in the eastern sector as a deterrent to the aggressive and belligerent stance of China.
It has to be remembered that China has adopted the dagger under cloak policy towards our country. While talking “sweet” on border issue, trade, commerce and economic and technological cooperation, she is making full war preparations on her border with India. Now that our defence ministry has awoken and decided to respond to China’s cloak and dagger policy, we expect a marked change in the nature of Sino-Indian relationship in near future.
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