Blatant favouritism at the top angers Navy

There is anger and dismay among the top brass of the Indian Navy. In what is seen as blatant favouratism, the Naval HQ has 'bent rules' to facilitate promotion of a key aide to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral RK Dhowan, available documents show.

A circular issued a couple of months after Adm. Dhowan took over as Navy Chief allows his long-serving Staff Officer Commander Satpal Singh to be promoted to the rank of Captain without having done the mandatory time at sea.

In other words, the officer would be able to attain the rank of a Captain without having had the experience of commanding a front line ship.

The one-time exception, issued by the Naval HQ last month (see document), also gives officers who have not qualified for the key 'command examination' another chance to appear and qualify for the rank of captain. 

The circular granting the one-time exception was issued on July 18 by the assistant chief of personnel, Rear Admiral S.N. Ghormade, . The circular said the additional attempt for appearing for the command exam was issued after receiving 'a number of requests in the recent past'. 

Senior officers in Eastern and Western Commands-- the Indian Navy's two operational commands--are appalled and alarmed at the open manipulation and nepotism indulged in by the Naval HQ, allegedly at the behest of the Navy Chief himself. 

Commander Satpal Singh has been a Staff Officer to Adm Dhowan for at least five years, an extraordinary feat in itself, Naval officers point out.

"This move will demoralise those who slog their way up in a highly competitive field up by spending long tenures at sea gaining operational experience,"  an admiral remarked.

However, the Navy has denied the charges. "As in every progressive organisation, the Indian Navy reviews and revises its personnel policies every four or five years to maintain a high level of motivation of its personnel. Such exceptions have been made in the past too," a Navy Spokesperson said. Adm Dhowan's supporters say the 'canard' about the 'one time' exception being granted only to suit his key aide, is spread by those who don't make the grade and are therefore disgruntled.

Not satisfied with the Naval HQ's explanation, some officers are now contemplating legal recourse to arrest what they see as extraordinary nepotism. 

India playing catch up in Ladakh but much remains to be done in border villages

Are top ranking Chinese generals and party officials visiting cantonments bordering Ladakh and Sikkim more frequently because of India's renewed emphasise on building its defences in these areas?

The Hindu reported that  a top ranking General of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) (PLA) has carried out a rare inspection visit to the disputed western section of the border with India, including stops to inspect troops at two sites that have been at the centre of recent differences over incursion incidents — near the Karakoram Pass and the contested Pangong Tso lake.  General Xu Qiliang, who is one of two Vice-Chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC) headed by President Xi Jinping — the highest-ranking position in the Chinese Army — made the visit last month to inspect frontier troops in Xinjiang and Tibet, including in the Aksai Chin region claimed by India.

 

Other newspaper reports in China have indicated that a senior Communist Party of China official spent unusually long time in Western Tibet in areas bordering Ladakh and Sikkim. They reported that Deng Xiaogang, Deputy Party Secretary of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, responsible for the law and order, security and police, spent considerable time “to inspect the border security and the People’s Liberation Army bases”.

 

On June 20 for instance, an article in The Tibet Daily mentions: “Deng Xiaogang inspected Rutok, the border county”. Rudok is located near the Pangong Lake (tso) stretching between India and China; it is where Chinese ‘water’ incursions often occur. Addressing the border guards, Deng Xiaogang stressed: “Tibet is very special strategic location; it is an important barrier for the national security; development and stability in these border areas is an important part of the region’s overall situation.”

Why is China so nervous about these borders areas? 

One reason for the Chinese attention to areas bordering Ladakh and Sikkim could be the following developments on the Indian side.

 

After years of neglect and apathy, India is beefing up its defences in Ladakh and Sikkim. Consider this:

• A new Air Force Station to base fighter jets is coming up at Nyoma/Muth, about 200 km from capital Leh but just 25 km from the Line of Actual Control, as the border between India and China is known
• A full-fledged armoured brigade will now be based in Ladakh. Two more armoured regiments will join 68 armoured regiment which made history last year by crossing the 13,000 feet plus Zojila and is now based near Nyoma.
• One more infantry brigade is now moving closer to DBO where a standoff took place last year. It will join the existing Infantry brigade at Tangtse.
• A new cantonment is coming up on the outskirts of Leh to house new support units
• In Sikkim, India's armoured presence is being steadily built up.

 

But much remains to be done in Ladakh as my recent tour of the villages along the border revealed. 

1. Poor Roads 

For instance, the crucial Lukung-Spangmik-Man-Merak-Chushul road, that goes all along the Pangong Tso needs to be black-topped urgently with either culverts or cemented troughs to take care of streams.

 

The Dungti-Koyul-Demchok stretch also needs a well-defined road. Right now, one travels only on natural gravel.

The Chushul-Rezeang La-Tasaga-Loma road could be opened for Indian tourists with adequate safeguards to let them do the Lukung-Chushul-Tsaga-Loma-Chumathang-Kairi-Karu-Leh circuit.

2. Communication facilities

BSNL towers are a must at Demchock, Pangong, Tsaga, Phobrang, and Chumur villages.

The Chinese mobile network is available at  at least two of these places. Even Chushul's already installed BSNL tower is not functional. 

Bus service between Chushul and Leh and Demchok-Leh needs to be at least twice a week, instead of once a week now.

3. Issues between Army-ITBP and local residents

There is friction between ITBP/Army and local residents at various places like Chumur, Demchok, Phobrang and Merak. The issues may seem trivial, but they have a potential to flare up.

 

A survey of the pastures in the area to determine their sufficiency should be undertaken.

 

Finally, there have to be more ITBP/Army posts across the Indus, closer to the LAC at least on the stretch between Dungti and Demchok. Right now Indian posts are at least four-five km in depth, delaying reaction time.

 

 

Along the LAC with China, a bone-crushing 1250 km journey: Of nomads and Chinese mobile network

Day I, 28 July: We leave Leh, Ladakh's capital exactly at 7. In fact when you travel in the mountains, its always best to start as early as possible, even may be an hour before we actually left. Our first destination: Phobrang village (see map). As we follow the District Collector Simrandeep Singh's vehicle, we pass through the usual tourist sites--Sindhu Darshan, Shey--before climbing on to the Chang La, one of the highest passes in Ladakh at 17688 feet. A throng of tourists are busy clicking pictures. After all, this is the peak tourist season in the area. A quick glass of warm water and we are on our way to Darbuk.

Ten km down the road, a group of villagers

Our journey, marked by maroon squares

Dist Collector Simrandeep Singh reading a memorandum

from Shyok, which is slightly off the main road, stop the Collector's car. The young collector, decides to hold an impromptu roadside meeting. The villagers have come prepared with a flat, low table, carpets to sit on, tea and snacks for the collector's party. After all, not every day does the collector come visiting. After the traditional welcome, the whole party from Leh squats on the grass as villagers pour out their woes. They have a whole list of demands for their tiny village; an irrigation facility left incomplete, a road in a state of disrepair. Very basic demands but important nevertheless. Simrandeep gives them a patient hearing, asks his assistant for details of projects earmarked for Shyok and assures action on doable points. Quite apart from the instant decision making, it is refreshing to see absence of an intrusive security around the collector. The villagers are speaking to him one to one and without any fear. Its educative to see grassroots administrator in action!

At Pangang Tso

At Chushul

Twenty minutes later, we are off to Phobrang, first of the border villages along the Line of Actual Control with China. There are 22 to 26 such villages, depending on whether you consider an hamlet with barely four houses as a village or a settlement. Phobrang is co-located with an ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) camp. The ITBP, as the name suggests is the first line of border defence forces along the LAC. Established in 1963, immediately after the India-China war in 1962, the men of this force remain deployed at high altitude throughout their careers and are veterans of the China border.

An agitated villager at Merak

Local ITBP commandants sit with the District Collector for a meeting with the villagers to hear their problems first hand. Phabrong villagers have a big grouse: They are prevented from taking their cattle to the traditional pasture land close to the LAC; the ITBP has a standard reply: Agreements between India and China mandates certain restrictions and therefore they are bound by Govt of India guidelines! A refrain we were to hear throughout the 72-hour, 1250 km journey in Eastern Ladakh earlier this week.

Simrandeep Singh, the young collector

The District Collector, perhaps first such officer to visit these remote, inaccessible areas in half a decade, notes everything down in his diary, tells his assistant to take note of special needs and gives decision in some cases on the spot. He has already reversed an old ratio of spending 70 per cent of the BADP (Border Area Development Programme) funds in areas other than border villages. In this year's budget the border villages will actually get 70 per cent of the allotted money.

A quick, local lunch prepared by the villagers and we are off to Lukung, at the very edge of the beautiful Pangong Tso (lake). A string of villages along the lake starting with Spangmik, Mena, Merak takes us to Chushul late evening. An eventful day ends with a long discussion with an Army Unit which was in Assam and the one I had visited in 2007! A sumptuous dinner later, we crash around midnight tired to the bones. Tomorrow is another day.

Paying my respects to the gallant 13 Kumaonis

In contemplative mood at Rezangla

Day II, 29 July: Departure 6.45 am. Breakfast at the ITBP camp in Chushul. Astonished to learn that this post has been located here since 1963. Even now, Chushul is back of the beyond. Even now, this fairly largish village has ONE telephone that is shared between villagers, ITBP and the Army. I am left wondering what would it have been five decades ago! Nothing has changed since my last visit here in 2007 when I had stayed at this location (at 14450 feet) for two days. The road in and out of the village and Army battalion HQ is as dusty as before; electricity is non-existent; there is one weekly bus service to Leh, the district capital! We are headed to Tasga La village (see map) as a first stop. But there is duty to be done: pay our respects at the Rezang La War Memorial built in memory of the 113 brave hearts of the 13 Kumaon Battalion who fought to the last man, last bullet and died in the line of duty in the summer of 1962, facing Chinese human waves. The memory of Maj Shaitan Singh, Param Vir Chakra and his 112 ferocious Ahirs lives on at this desolate spot. Tears automatically well up as I lay a wreath at this starkly simple monument, barely a dot in the vast Ladakh flat land.

Speaking to Rinchin

At Tsaga La village, as the Collector sits down with the villagers, I am pleasantly surprised to run into a young Rinchin, prettily dressed in traditional Ladakhi dress. A post-graduate in Political Science from IGNOU, Rinchin has come back home to spread awareness and with a zeal to educate the village children. "Life has no meaning without education," she explains. "Other facilities will come with time, but the urgent need is to impart education," young Rinchin tells me. 

A Tibetan nomad

The Collector meanwhile has heard the familiar demands: a pucca road, at least one telephone connection in the village and electricity. He points out that solar energy is the focus of the government and all households should get their rightful due in some years. But agrees that roads must be built on priority.We move on. Now its going to be a minimum of five hours of drive to Demchock, at the southern most extreme point in Eastern Ladakh where frequent stand offs between Indian Army and PLA troops is common. On the way, we run into nomads who stop us and complain about shriking pastures and the tendency among Indian security forces to restrain Indian Ribos (nomads) from venturing close to the LAC. The District Collector turns to the accompanying ITBP officials and seeks to understand the ITBP argument in keeping the nomads away. Simrandeep is not satisfied. But we carry on nevertheless. As we hit the final stretch to Demchock, the ground is flat and naturally gravelled but there is no road. Army battle tanks can roll on this terrain very easily, I think to myself but even a Mahindra SUV has its limits. Two hours of bumpy ride along the Indus brings us to Demchock, the absolutely last village on the Indian side. 

The Chinese post across Demchok

It starts raining. The lone policeman, accompanying Simrandeep tells me "rain means good omen." We arrive at Demchock. Only the Demchock nallah, now overflowing because of rains, divides India and China. At a distance I can see multi-storey buildings, a watch tower and a giant ball (perhaps a radar, a snooping device) on the Chinese side. The villagers are agitated. They have been prevented, they claim from going to what is rightfully Indian territory. Local army and ITBP officials remain silent. They want to brief the Collector separately on the complex issues involved in the delicate boundary situation.

A double story colony for Chinese Ribos across Demchok

The Collector decides to go a little further and inspect the spot for himself but a sudden surge of water in the nallah prevents us from going to what is called the T-point. At the zero point on the LAC, my so-far dead phone springs to life! Text messages start coming in fast and furious! I am amazed but a closer look reveals that the signal on my phone is from a Chinese Cell phone provider! The Chinese have managed to get their mobile network right up to the LAC. On the Indian side, even a landline is rare! That tells me all that is there to know about the state of infrastructure on the Indian side!

Its getting late. We have another five hours to travel back to Hanle. If we had travelled in a straight line, the journey time would have been cut down by half but the road is incomplete, so the circuitous route it is.

A long bumpy ride back, brings us to Hanle, base to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, reputed to be the world's highest observatory. The guest house is decent but basic. Tired to the bone after a 15 hour road journey, we have a hot meal and hit the bed. But not before realising that tomorrow is going to be longer!

Villagers at Chumar

Day II, 30 July: Two days of bone crushing travel has sapped the energy but not the spirit, so we set out again around 7.30 am, this time the destination is Chumar in the news more regularly than other hot spots in Ladakh along the LAC. Once again, unusual rains have cut off the shorter route. So it is not before noon that we reach the banks of the other well known lake in Ladakh--Tso Moriri. But our destination is still at least an hour away. Chumar, on the tri-junction of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and China has been the bone of contention between India and China for the last couple of years. In fact, the April 2013, 21-day incursion by PLA troops about 300 km up north in the Depsang plains of Dault Beg Oldie is said to have been done to relieve Indian pressure on weaker Chinese positions in Chumar! Here the local councilor (equivalent of a minister) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council is present at the public meeting. And he is one angry public representative! He let's loose a litany of grievances against the government, and especially against the forces--ITBP and Army for preventing his constituents from using the traditional pastures for their cattle. " We have been going to Chepzi (an area that is been with the Chinese at least since the 1970s) but now we are stopped well within our own territory. Our pastures have shrunk. We are facing a livelihood crises," he alleges. The Collector listens to him with patience and promises to check the exact position with Army and ITBP but the assembled people will have none of it. They repeatedly request the Collector to go with them to the area, not very far from where the meeting is taking place. He agrees.

At Chumar

So our convoy heads to what looks like a disputed spot. The local ITBP commander gets the jitters. He has been told not to allow anyone beyond a certain point. But preventing local residents is one thing and stopping the District Collector is quite another. So he leads the convoy. After a 15 minute drive on a kutcha road, we are at a point called Mane up to which the PLA troops apparently come almost every second day. "They had come yesterday (29th July)," one of the local residents tells me as I do my piece-to-camera at the troubled spot. 

My colleague, cameraperson Manu Nair points out that we must be the first Indian media persons to have reached the place which is in news for almost every month for the past two years for stand offs between Indian and Chinese troops!

After a 15-minute inspection of the spot and the terrain around the area, we head back to the ITBP camp. A quick lunch accompanied by an explanation of the situation on the detailed map later, we are on the road again. 

A seven hour return journey lies ahead. Its not until 11 pm, that we are back at Leh, only to wake up again at 5 to catch the 7 am flight back to Delhi the next day!

A gruelling, 1250 km extremely educative trip is over. The back is beginning to hurt, the knees are creaking but the satisfaction of having seen the situation on ground and understood the pathetic condition of border villages in Ladakh far outweighs the pain!

Day IV, 31 July: A lot of work remains. Footage needs to be sorted out, script needs to be finalised, a slot is needed to found. But all that will come later. For the moment, recouping from the exhausting journey of eight days (four days in Kargil Drass and four in Eastern Ladakh) is the priority. And yes, the weekend, as promised, is reserved for the spouse! So here I am racing against time to finish this article on a Friday evening.

P.S. It has been brought to my notice that the map I am using to show our journey was created by two people--Arati and Harsh--whom I don't know. The map was shared with me by the district administration. 

The Fauji Way: Radio Niticentral interviews me on why I am writing this book

On Monday, Niticentral Radio interviewed me on my fauji connection and the new book that I intend to write on the ways of the Indian military.

Listen to the podcast here: www.niticentral.com/2014/07/14/nitin-gokhale-on-how-armed-forces-can-be-re-inspired-233275.html

And read about the book project here: 

 CALLING ALL FAUJIS!

The Fauji Way: Military tales from the cantonments

The Indian armed forces, among the top three militaries in the world, are a unique entity.

Forged in the crucible of the two great wars in the 20th century, nurtured by traditions that some time date back 200 years and sustained by a support system that is a combination of regimental loyalty,... personal bonding and sheer survival instinct of the fauji fraternity, the Indian military has a lifestyle of its own.

For outsiders, military life in India's sprawling cantonments looks like a perpetual celebration. But only those who have lived in the closed community of the fauj know it is anything but glamorous.

The wives (more commonly called the Spouse) go through constant shifting of house every two years, the children learn to change schools frequently and make new friends each time the father gets posted to a distant location.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the money was never enough; but the perks of 'Bharat Darshan' on the house more than made up for the shoe string household budget.

Over the years since Independence, much like the Indian society, the fauji life has undergone much change in the past six decades. And yet fundamentally, many things remain constant.

This book will chronicle the wonderful, varied, exasperating triumphs and tragedies of fauji families. Their struggle, their achievements and more importantly the unique life that makes the military stand out in the mosaic that is India.

The book will not be possible without contribution from all the faujis and their spouses; the parents and the children who grow up to be as resilient as anyone possibly can.

So here's calling every fellow fauji brat, fauji spouse and fauji mothers and last but not the least, the fauji father to get in touch with me with your stories, anecdotes, unforgettable experiences--the works.

Please email your stories/contacts/suggestions to thefaujiway@gmail.com and I will take as many on board as possible.

Let's show the world what we are made up of!

Fulfilling a sacred contract with the soldier

 

The  Ministry of Defence will soon invite international bids for constructing a National War Memorial at India Gate following the allocation of Rs 100 crore in the budget for 2014-15 presented to the Parliament on Thursday.

Although a basic design and concept for the proposed memorial is available with the Indian Army, the authorities want to explore more possibilities within that framework. 

The proposed layout for the War Memorial

 

Defence ministry sources said the proposed concept includes a museum and a walkabout. Some of the images from a presentation made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Army last month suggest 

• Landscaping/sloping up of lawns around 'Chhattri' to create retaining walls for writing names of martyrs - post independence
• No disturbance at all to existing structure of India Gate and 'Chhattri'

•  
 
• 

  

  The proposed underground 'shradhanjali kaksh'

  Construction of Shradhanjali Kaksh and auditorium at Princess Park and Armed Forces Museum at Jodhpur Hostel (adjacent but outside the India Gate complex) and connecting these with the war memorial through underground passages


 



The proposed walls that will have martyrs' names

This is a welcome development. Otherwise 64 years after India became a Republic, we are still paying homage at India Gate, built by the British for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Imperial power in World War I! 
 
It is important to honour all the soldiers who have given blood, sweat and life for preserving India's independence and protecting its sovereignty. Otherwise, India will be like Japan or Germany, post-WW II—big economies without adequate military muscle. Let them know we care for them through the year and not just on two or three ritualistic occasions.

 It’s important to recall what Kautilya (not Sun Tzu as many of us are fond of quoting) said ages ago about the duty of the King (in this case the Government) towards the soldier: “A country makes a sacred contract with its soldiers. A country that refuses to respect this contract with its armed forces will eventually end up getting forces that will not respect the nation (government).”

The proposed underground auditorium

  

Kautilya, better known as Chanakya, also reminded King Chandragupta Maurya:

“The day the soldier has to demand his dues, will be a sad day.”
 
Fortunately, after years of stalling a War Memorial, soldiers can look forward to a befitting memorial for their fallen comrades.

 

Announcing a new book project!

 CALLING ALL FAUJIS!

The Fauji Way: Military tales from the cantonments

The Indian armed forces, among the top three militaries in the world, are a unique entity.

Forged in the crucible of the two great wars in the 20th century, nurtured by traditions that some time date back 200 years and sustained by a support system that is a combination of regimental loyalty,... personal bonding and sheer survival instinct of the fauji fraternity, the Indian military has a lifestyle of its own.

For outsiders, military life in India's sprawling cantonments looks like a perpetual celebration. But only those who have lived in the closed community of the fauj know it is anything but glamorous.

The wives (more commonly called the Spouse) go through constant shifting of house every two years, the children learn to change schools frequently and make new friends each time the father gets posted to a distant location.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the money was never enough; but the perks of 'Bharat Darshan' on the house more than made up for the shoe string household budget.

Over the years since Independence, much like the Indian society, the fauji life has undergone much change in the past six decades. And yet fundamentally, many things remain constant.

This book will chronicle the wonderful, varied, exasperating triumphs and tragedies of fauji families. Their struggle, their achievements and more importantly the unique life that makes the military stand out in the mosaic that is India.

The book will not be possible without contribution from all the faujis and their spouses; the parents and the children who grow up to be as resilient as anyone possibly can.

So here's calling every fellow fauji brat, fauji spouse and fauji mothers and last but not the least, the fauji father to get in touch with me with your stories, anecdotes, unforgettable experiences--the works.

Please email your stories/contacts/suggestions to thefaujiway@gmail.com and I will take as many on board as possible.

Let's show the world what we are made up of!

Getting to know the PLA better: aim of military CBMs

Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh leaves for China late tonight as part of the new emphasis on increased military to military contacts between the armed forces of India and China. An Indian Army Chief is visiting China after a long gap of nine years. 

Gen Singh is scheduled to meet the Vice President but more importantly, the Indian Army Chief will have one-on-one meetings with the Vice Chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission and the Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army.

 

The Indian Army Chief will also address China's National Defence University. But the three-day visit of the Army Chief is just part of the 2014 plan to enhance defence exchanges between the two countries that treat each other warily not the least because of the 1962 border war but also because of their long-standing border dispute. According to the plan drawn up at the beginning of this year, 10 Chinese and 9 Indian military delegations are to visit each other throughout this year. 

While a Chinese PLA delegation led by one of its top most military leaders, the deputy chief of general staff (operations)  Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, visited India in April, a team from Indian Army's Eastern Command is scheduled to visit the Lanzhou Military Area Command. 

This week for the first time, a Chinese military-media delegation will be in India to hold talks with the Indian Defence Ministry's media's and publicity wing. Led by a Senior Col (equivalent to a Brigadier of the Indian Army), in charge of Information Affairs Bureau under the ministry of National Defence, this team will be briefed in details about media policies and media interaction model of the Indian armed forces by officers of the Indian Army's media and perception management wing. The Chinese delegation will also visit the Indian troops that have participated in the UN Peacekeeping missions and the Delhi-based National Defence College.  

As reported earlier, during the April visit of the high level Chinese delegation, India and China earmarked four locations along their contested border for holding emergency meetings to quickly resolve possible standoffs.  

These locations, all in Ladakh, are Track Junction, Pangang Tso Lake, Demchock and Chumar. The locations were finalized late last month when held day-long talks with an Indian Army team led by the vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh.  All the four locations have been witness to standoffs and intrusions in recent times, leading to tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as the unsettled border between the two countries is known. 

In addition to the four flag meeting points, the two countries have also decided to open two more locations for holding scheduled annual meetings between senior field officers. So far these annual conferences known as Border Personnel Meetings take place at Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh, Nathula in Siukkim and Chushul in Ladakh. From now on, troops across the nearly 4,000-km long LAC will have two more places--Kibithoo in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh and Mana Pass in Uttarakhand--to meet at least four times a year, on the occasion of each others' national days. 

The two sides also decided to establish a hotline between the Indian Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and an equivalent officer in the PLA HQ in Beijing. 

All these decisions are part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that New Delhi and Beijing have decided to pursue after the signing of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) signed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries in October 2013. 

The plan to increase the frequency of military-to-military contacts will get a further boost when a two year plan to post Indian Naval and an Air Force Attaches is implemented by end-2014. So far only an Indian Army Colonel and a Lt Col were posted in the Indian Embassy in Beijing.
Indian security establishment is however not letting the CBMs come in the way of building and strengthening India's defences in Ladakh. Over the past one year, India has moved an additional infantry brigade (3,000) troops into Ladakh to primarily look after the security of Sub-Sector North (SSN) under which the Depsang plains fall.

Last year the Chinese troops had intruded in this area and created a standoff. India's presence was limited in the area till then. In addition to additional troops, India has also for the first time, moved a regiment of tanks in Ladakh to support the existing deployment. The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force has also speeded up the infrastructure development in Ladakh. For instance, many strategically important roads  have been taken up for faster completion and two important adavanced landing grounds at Nyoma and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) have been upgraded to allow more landings by the bigger transport aircraft of the IAF including the C-130J Super Hercules.