Indian Army Asserts Its Soldiers Are Battle-Hardened Unlike Chinese Troops, Says Ready To Fight War Even In Winters

The Indian Army on Wednesday (16 September) said that it is ready to fight a full-fledged war with China even in winters and that Chinese troops will face better trained, better prepared and psychologically battle-hardened Indian soldiers if Beijing creates conditions for war, reports Deccan Chronicle.

The Indian Army's Northern Command Headquarters in a statement said that Chinese troops mostly hail from urban areas and are not used to hardships or prolonged deployment under field conditions unlike the Indian soldiers who are physically and psychologically battle-hardened.

The statement came in response to a report in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government's mouthpiece Global Times claiming that India will not be able to fight through winters effectively in case of a war as the operational logistics of the Indian Armed forces are not geared up adequately.

A Northern Command spokesperson responding to the report said, “This can best be attributed to ignorance. Indian Army is fully prepared and more than capable of fighting a full-fledged war even in winters in eastern Ladakh".

The spokerperson further said that India is a peace-loving country and wishes to have good relations with its neighbours. He said that India prefers to resolve issues through dialogue.

"While talks are in progress to resolve the border issues with China in eastern Ladakh, at the military level it is well prepared for the prolonged stand-off,” he added.

Describing the harsh winter weather conditions in Ladakh, the spokersperson said that temperature in the region can dip down to minus 30 to 40 degree celsius. He added that troops also face difficulty in the region due to heavy snowfall, upto 40 feet after November, which results in roads getting closed.

"But despite all this, the most encouraging part for India is that the Indian soldiers have a huge experience of winter warfare and are psychologically tuned to operate at short notice,” the spokesperson said.

He added that the Indian armed forces have boosted their logistical capabilities, which existed prior to the tensions, further since May this year when China showed first signs of aggression.

The spokesperson added that Indian Army holds the experience of Siachen which is the highest battleground in the world, where conditions are much more demanding than the frontiers with China.

Besides, a third road link to Leh from Darcha has also been commissioned to boost Indian Army's movement. The spokesperson added that completion of Atal tunnel on the Rohtang route has force multiplied the logistic capacities.

He pointed out that India has a large number of airbases in the region with the help of which it can maintain the Army well. Besides, other facilities for soldiers including water, food, medical and living barracks have also been prepared.

“China's concept has always been to win the wars without fighting, hence if they create conditions for war, they will come across better trained, better prepared, fully rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops," the spokesperson said.

“These worries have been percolating in the minds of Chinese troops and are visible in Chinese media,” he added.