Both nations are bolstering their surveillance and military arsenal.
Both nations are bolstering their surveillance and military arsenal.
As tensions between India and China heighten over the Line of Actual Control — the international border separating the two South Asian countries — both are taking preparatory steps to detect intrusions and mitigate cross-border escalations.
While the Indian army is upgrading surveillance along the northern border with China through an array of drones, electronic warfare equipment, sensors, and reconnaissance, Chinese President Xi Jingping has commanded the troops of People’s Liberation Army stationed near the border to be “combat ready” during the Chinese New Year, which is on Feb. 12.
“India has an un-demarcated border with China, called the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan,” said Lieutenant General (Retired) Gurmeet Singh. “India has a 15,000-kilometer (9,320-miles) land border. We (the Indian Army) started a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System since 2018. The aim was to check border infiltrations.”
The growing influence of the People’s Liberation Army near the Line of Actual Control, the recent skirmishes and the standoffs between the two armies, including those at Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake, have pushed the Indian government into planning and upgrading their intelligence and surveillance mechanisms.
The Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System is capable of addressing the gaps in border security by integrating human resources, weapons, and high-tech surveillance equipment, states a report by Manohar Parrikar Institute For Defence Studies And Analyses.
Its purpose is to replace manual surveillance/patrolling of international borders by electronic surveillance to enhance detection and interception capabilities.
“With the availability of technology, the surveillance is getting an advantage,” Singh told Zenger News. “We are working on Smart Border Management and Artificial Intelligence-based solutions to increase surveillance. We had already improvised and innovated methods to keep an eye on the Line of Control. The same is being duplicated at the Line of Actual Control with more sophisticated methods.”
The Line of Actual Control cannot be manned like the Line of Control with Pakistan because it is has mountains and jungles with severe weather conditions.
“Each border with China has mountains with different altitudes, steep valleys, and harsh weather conditions. All these areas are very difficult and it is a challenge to keep an eye on them,” said Singh. “The Line of Control is not well-defined. We have our conventional war positions in the border areas. We have a counter-infiltration grid in Line of Control to counter Pakistan and Bangladesh.”
China, too, is gearing up on a similar front.
According to local media reports, Jingping ordered his army to deploy new weapons along the Indian border. The Central Military Commission, China’s top military organization, is monitoring the logistics supply for frontline troops.
“During the Spring Festival, the entire army must strengthen combat readiness on duty to guard national security and the happiness and tranquility of the people,” Xi told the aviation unit.
He asked them to prepare for information warfare because it is key to win over enemy forces.
Israel Aerospace Industries (Israel’s largest aerospace and defense company) signed a strategic partnership agreement with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Dynamatic Technologies Limited to share drone technologies and promote the production of Indian unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Collaboration with the Indian firms will focus on sharing technologies for upgrading UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] capabilities, and offer the Indian customers advanced systems that include integrated local technologies,” Israel Aerospace Industries said in a press conference.
(Edited by Gaurab Dasgupta and Amrita Das)
