The third flag meeting has reportedly failed to resolve the stand off with China on the Depsang Plains of Ladakh simply because it was never designed to end with a flag meeting.
The Chinese have chosen the point of intrusion with great care. They know full well the greater degree of difficulty that the Indian military faces in logistically supporting troops in this area.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that the Indian Army cannot indiscriminately increase the strength of its troops should the occasion arise to surround and cut off supplies to the intruding Chinese troops. One cannot be sure but thats what it appears to be.
The central point here is that Chinese would not have knowingly entered Indian Territory if a flag meeting could persuade them to go back. There is obviously a far larger plan and the highest Chinese leadership knows it in its entirety. The Chinese want India to freeze or lower its defences on the LAC. This a firm message from the NEW CHINESE LEADERSHIP.
India's response should be to cancel the visit in whatever diplomatic language that needs to be used.
As I have always believed, India must formulate serious air power employment plans to meet such contingencies now and in the future. It is not difficult for the IAF to selectively cordon off, deny or interdict the lines of supply to these intruding troops by more or less staying on the Indian side of the LAC. This I believe will not be escalatory. There is however no hurry to do that just yet.
Simply increasing flying activity and positioning some attack aircraft at Leh will send a clear message.
The Chinese have chosen the point of intrusion with great care. They know full well the greater degree of difficulty that the Indian military faces in logistically supporting troops in this area.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that the Indian Army cannot indiscriminately increase the strength of its troops should the occasion arise to surround and cut off supplies to the intruding Chinese troops. One cannot be sure but thats what it appears to be.
The central point here is that Chinese would not have knowingly entered Indian Territory if a flag meeting could persuade them to go back. There is obviously a far larger plan and the highest Chinese leadership knows it in its entirety. The Chinese want India to freeze or lower its defences on the LAC. This a firm message from the NEW CHINESE LEADERSHIP.
India's response should be to cancel the visit in whatever diplomatic language that needs to be used.
As I have always believed, India must formulate serious air power employment plans to meet such contingencies now and in the future. It is not difficult for the IAF to selectively cordon off, deny or interdict the lines of supply to these intruding troops by more or less staying on the Indian side of the LAC. This I believe will not be escalatory. There is however no hurry to do that just yet.
Simply increasing flying activity and positioning some attack aircraft at Leh will send a clear message.
