.gif "Army 'Reinforcement in Arunachal Pradesh sector Is China planning something bigger ?")
WHAT'S HAPPENING ?
India and China will complete the disengagement process in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh by September 12, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday, A day after the armies of the two neighbouring countries announced the pull-out of troops, ending over two years of standoff in the Patrolling Point 15 area.
The Chinese side refers to PP-15 as the Jianan Daban area. At the same time, the Indian Army has undertaken a massive "reorientation" of its troops in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The exercise has been taken up in the strategic-sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh.
The purpose behind the reorientation of troops is to enhance the overall combat readiness of the Army considering the ever-persistent threat from China.
MODERN WEAPONS TO INFANTRY SOLDIERS NAGALAND
The Army has procured 72,400 SIG 716 assault rifles from Sig Saur of the U.S. under a deal signed in February 2019 and they have since been inducted with frontline infantry soldiers deployed in operational areas.
The SIG-716 weighing 3.82 kgs, has an effective range of 600m and employs the heavier calibre 7.62 mm ammunition.
Army contracted 16,497 Negev Light Machine Guns (LMG) from Israel in March 2020 under fast-track procurement and they have since been inducted on the Line of Control (LOC).
They started coming in RALP early this year. "We can take it for long range patrols and are less weight, less maintenance and more durable." Long range patrols on foot in the tough terrain vary from two weeks to a month.
INFRASTRUCTURE
From construction of roads, bridges, ammunition depots to bolstering its air assets and surveillance apparatus, The Army is also ramping up military infrastructure on a war footing for quicker mobilisation of troops in the strategically sensitive RALP (Rest of Arunachal Pradesh) region, senior military officials told He said capability development projects including construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, helipads and other infrastructure are being implemented under strict time-lines, especially in the Upper Dibang Valley region of Arunachal Pradesh.
LARGE HELIPADS
Almost all forward posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh will have one large helipad each for swift mobilisation of troops and military equipment, As part of a mega push for infrastructure development, senior military officials said on Friday.
The helipads are being built at the forward posts to facilitate landing and take off the Chinook 47 (F) helicopters which were procured from the US under a deal sealed in 2015.
The Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel and the choppers are being extensively used to bolster India's military preparedness in the eastern sector.
M-777 HOWITZERS
The Army has deployed a significant number of easily transportable M-777 ultra light howitzers in mountainous regions along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh.
The M-777 can be transported quickly in Chinook helicopters and the Army now has the flexibility of quickly moving them from one place to another based on operational requirements.
INDIGENOUS UAV
Another significant aspect is induction of indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that has given big boost to the forward troops.
The Army has already deployed a large number of indigenously-built remotely piloted aircraft, Switch, in the forward posts to monitor Chinese activities across the LAC.
OPTICAL FIBRE NETWORK
Each of the forward posts and Army units are also being linked with optical fibre network and All of them will have separate satellite terminals for bolstering overall surveillance and communication.
As part of this, new radio sets are also being inducted. The focus is to build redundancy in the communications.
CONCLUSION
The disengagement at PP-15 came around a week ahead of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan, Expected to be attended by Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, among other leaders of the grouping.
