By Lt General Vinod Bhatia (Retd)
Three years after the clash in Galwan, we pay homage to Colonel Santosh Babu and the 19 soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice on 15/16 June 2020. Though the China-initiated crisis along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) still remains to be fully resolved, however, it is the immediate and effective retaliation by the Indian Army soldiers in Galwan resulting in 43 Chinese soldiers killed, which has ensured that there has been no escalation of violence along the LAC by the PLA.
China propagates the three warfare strategies predicated on ‘Public Opinion, Psychological Warfare, and Legal Warfare’. The clash on Galwan was initiated by the PLA on an unsuspecting and unprepared Indian patrol with spikes and clubs employed in medieval times, shattering a nearly four-and-a-half-decade-old ‘Peace and Tranquillity’ based on Five Agreements (1993, 1996, 2002, 2005 and 2013) between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants. The fact that the PLA did not employ any conventional weapons gave the Chinese a reason to propagate that they had not violated the agreements (Legal Warfare).
Though the PLA did achieve initial surprise on the night of 15/16 June 2020, ambushing the Indian patrol, they were surprised by an effective retaliation by the Indian Army soldiers, who also demonstrated restraint by not resorting to the use of weapons. Indian soldiers suffered 20 fatal casualties in this clash at altitudes of 5000 meters. According to the honour due to soldiers who make the supreme sacrifice, the last rites of Indian soldiers were performed at their native places with thousands of citizens paying homage with extensive coverage in the media. The gallantry was also duly recognized by the President of India awards on the occasion of Republic Day in 2021, with Colonel Santosh Babu the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest gallantry award. On the other side, Beijing decided to maintain complete silence on the casualties suffered mainly to appease her own people and project to the world the invincibility of the PLA ( Public Opinion). Beijing silenced and stifled any and everybody who dared talk or post casualties figures suffered in Galwan on social media platforms. It can be very demoralising for the Army and the people when a nation does not respect and recognize soldiers who fought and died for the motherland. For an aggressive China, face, and power projection are more important. It needs to be reiterated that the PLA is an instrument of the CCP, and hence their supreme leader Xi Jinping, already facing internal dissent, could not have afforded a setback to his all-powerful image, specially as he was planning for an unprecedented third term in office, which he eventually managed.
The fact that there have been no more Galwans in itself is ample evidence of the numerous casualties suffered by China. Though it is not a balance sheet, had the PLA not suffered 40-odd soldiers dead in the clash, we would have witnessed many more Galwans. Knowing the PLA, similar weapons like spikes and clubs as also orders would have been issued to most if not all front-line units deployed along the LAC. The effective retaliation and an unexpected aggressive response by Indian troops in Galwan forced a review by the PLA. This is one of the primary reasons that there has been no escalation whatsoever along the LAC. China has bitten more than it can chew and is likely to seek a face-saving exit, though she is also likely to continue her ‘ Military Coercion’ in the near term due to domestic compulsions.
Both Beijing and New Delhi would like to resolve the situation through talks, despite Galwan. The talks at political, diplomatic, and more importantly at the military level continue. The 18th round of Corps Commander-level talks may not have yielded a much-expected resolution, but the fact that the two sides have decided to continue with the talks seeking disengagement from the remaining friction areas is in itself a positive indication.
India’s China challenge is to ‘ Deter China’s Aggressive Behaviour’. India needs a ‘ THREE D STRATEGY’. One defends the LAC. Two Dominate the Sea lanes of Communication, in particular the Eight Choke Points in the Indian Ocean. Three – Deft Diplomacy ‘Bind to Balance’ with nations where we have convergence and congruence of interests e.g. QUAD. While the operational philosophy of No Blinking No Brinkmanship along the LAC is effective, we need an integrated approach to build a multi-modal infrastructure along the India-China border. At present, the India-China Border is manned and managed by Indian Armed Forces and the ITBP, which creates uncertainties and confusion as two ministries and intermediary Headquarters often pass contradictory orders. The ITBP needs to be placed under the operational control of the Indian Army. This was also one of the recommendations of the 2002 Group of Ministers Report after Kargil – One Border One Force, with the army responsible for LAC and LC. The Vibrant Village project is an excellent initiative, however, there is a need to allocate more funds and monitor the implementation. The strategic rebalancing has since been done and there is a focussed approach to capability building and capacity enhancement. The Indian Ocean is a strategic concern and a vulnerability for China as 80% of the oil is shipped through the Indian Ocean. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are strategically located as a Threat in Being’ to counter Chinese aggressive behaviour, and should be developed to house adequate military deployment ab initio.
India is fully prepared to meet and mitigate the China challenge, as New Delhi seeks a ‘ Status Quo Ante’ as of 04 May 2020. It is now up to China to find a mutually acceptable and equitable resolution addressing India’s concerns. India needs a constant and continuous review of her China policy, however, India’s China policy despite Galwan, should be ‘ Pro India and not anti-China’.
The author is Former Director General of Military Operations and Director CENJOWS.
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