tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post5663148119648310111..comments2024-03-28T05:22:10.255-07:00Comments on Broadsword by Ajai Shukla - Strategy. Economics. Defence.: No good options: A year on from Galwan, Beijing still has the upper handBroadswordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13076780076240598482noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-26139830762617473542021-07-01T01:54:58.254-07:002021-07-01T01:54:58.254-07:00Well put! Oversight - especially government - alwa...Well put! Oversight - especially government - always has a high cost attached to it. Why is it we never seem to learn from past follies.SHHH Lightning Rod's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09048732874447466705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-77082907334584592222021-06-17T18:43:32.486-07:002021-06-17T18:43:32.486-07:00# our officer corps, general staff were, as has be...# our officer corps, general staff were, as has become the norm, caught napping. at the heights overlooking kargil our patrolling was observed in the breach; to the extent that pakistan's northern light infantry [formerly gilgit scouts] were able to bring in heavy equipment and construct impregnable gun positions, bunkers under the noses of our military. even when gujjar, bakrewal graziers told our field security entities about this, we did not even bother to check. similarly, in this instance too [eastern ladakh], we were simply not sending out patrols to keep an eye on the PLA border forces; even as we were chuffed about the completion of the all weather road to DBO that we swaggered [merry with braggadocio] would allow us to turn DBO into a launch pad to interdict karakoram highway, retake aksai-chin. the reason - our forward troops at the LOC were observing covid lockdown. the PLA merely moved in to secure the heights overlooking the darbuk-shyok-DBO highway. checkmate! now we are stuck between a rock and a hard-place. we will have to spend, year after year, billions, trillions of rupees, much of it is foreign currency, for materiel, munitions, weapon systems, to clothe, shelter, feed, house, fuel troops at altitudes that are debilitating for men, and materiel. we will continue to feel good about our brave-hearts, thrill at the republic day procession, our soldiers looking fierce, attired in the best parkas, thermals, gloves for mountaineers, shod in the most expensive climbing footwear and carrying carbines, rifles from the finest gun-smiths in the world. meanwhile we will continue to destroy forests, plunder arable land to get at iron-ore to supply to china; grow cotton in arid districts with seriously depleting groundwater so that we can send the raw cotton for value addition to china, and even pakistan. post eastern ladakh our exports of both these primary commodities to china [to support their finished goods international dominance] has been robust, exceeding even twice the previous year's exports. george ninanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01856262118970125304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-38106145023797841212021-06-17T12:39:04.559-07:002021-06-17T12:39:04.559-07:00As usual the darbari journalist tries to show Indi...As usual the darbari journalist tries to show Indian military in poor light,he mentions about the death of 20Indian soldiers but fails to mention the 40+ PLA men killed according to most conservative estimates, to show as if our troops were just massacred,also all the advantages PLA gained in the sectors he mentioned had been mostly gained in 2013 during UPA ,the NDA Govt is atleast hitting back,and about troops in place at LAC,IA has experince in Kargil and Siachen so they will use that experince and it will speed up the infrastructre development that was lacking in those regions ,its actually a blessing in disguise not an adversity as this darbari tries to paint it.If Beijing holds the aces does anybody think they would have held back ,Plz IA will do its job darbaris like you Cannot dent the confidence the public has on its Armed forcespiyushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01915617055164568677noreply@blogger.com