India: A Military Buildup on the Border With China

Absent a comprehensive negotiated settlement, India and China will continue their efforts to bolster their strategic military positions on the border between them. Tensions on both sides of the Himalayan divide have been high in recent months, with India alleging that China has crossed the informal border, also know as the Line of Actual Control, multiple times.

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on July 17 approved the creation of a Mountain Strike Corps, which will strengthen the Indian strategic military position along the Line of Actual Control. The corps will consist of more than 40,000 troops and will be focused on the Indian northeast, where Arunachal Pradesh — most of which the Chinese claim as part of Tibet — is located. Furthermore, the Indians plan to continue augmenting their forces along the length of the Line of Actual Control with a number of other smaller formations.