Threat From Plaaf

Given the somnolence of the Indian establishment towards enhancing the IAF combat strength, the PLAAF threat is alarming and carries the potential of delivering to India an ignominy reminiscent of 1962.

- A.K. Sachdev

THE FRACAS NEAR PANGONG TSO LAKE IN SEPTEMBER THIS year that de-escalated after reaching short of a major confrontation, conforms to a pattern that China has nourished at its borders with India. The Doklam stand-off was perhaps the most prominent episode in recent times. There is a ‘No War, No Peace’ situation that has been nurtured by China for decades and the Indian military is constantly aware of the Chinese threat that looms over India. Exercise ‘Him Vijay’, a joint Indian Army-Air Force exercise is being held in Arunachal Pradesh in October to test out the Army’s Integrated Battle Group concept. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will airlift 17 Mountain Strike Corps troops and equipment using its latest transport aircraft including the C-17, C-130J Super Hercules and the AN-32 to airlift troops from Bagdogra for deployment close to the exercise area in Arunachal Pradesh. Needless to say, the threat from the PLAAF would be blended into the exercise planning and conduct. In recent years, PLAAF has grown in size, quality, and modernization and is a major cause for concern in the India-China equation.

CHINA’S NATIONAL DEFENCE IN THE NEW ERA

On July 22, 2019, China issued a white paper on its national defense, the tenth in an irregular series in which the previous one was released in 2015. After reiterating in the 2019 paper that China is peace-loving and that it has never started a war in 70 years, it states that its military strategic guideline for a new era “adheres to the principles of defense, self-defense, and post-strike response and adopts active defense”. In addition to the expected rhetoric, the paper conveys loudly that China is taking steps to strengthen military preparedness and comprehensively enhance combat capabilities for the new era. Doklam finds a mention in the paper as do statistics related to India’s defense expenditure.