Zoji La, a mountain pass, is one of the points of greatest interest in the “dramatic change” in Indian strategy.
The 2020 conflict was a turning point: India is investing hundreds of millions in the Himalayas to reinforce its presence in strategic areas (where things could heat up).
India will be investing hundreds of millions of euros in a vast infrastructure construction offensive in Himalayaswith the aim of strengthening its ability to quickly move soldiers and supplies to the disputed border with China.
The reported last week a huge investment in the construction of roads, tunnels and airstrips in the highest mountain range in the world. An effort that gained new urgency after the , which exposed New Delhi’s logistical weaknesses in the face of the already consolidated Chinese apparatus on the other side of the mountain range.
The 2020 episode, in the Galwan Valley, marked a turning point: Indian and Chinese troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat at an altitude of around 4,300 meters, with sticks and sticks wrapped in barbed wire, in one of the most dangerous moments of recent decades between the two nuclear powers.
The crisis brought to the fore a problem that military personnel and analysts had already been identifying: along the Line of Actual Control, an unclear demarcation that stretches for around 3,500 kilometers, China has had a network of roads and railway connections for decades, while India remained far short on the side it controls, which is largely mountainous and subject to harsh winters.
According to analysts cited by the WSJ, at the height of tension in 2020, Beijing would have been able to concentrate reinforcements in a few hours, taking advantage of infrastructure in Tibet and other border regions. India could take up to a week to deploy troops, due to more difficult and precarious access. It was this concern that most recently led to a change in the way New Delhi looks at defense from its Himalayan arc. A former person responsible for operational logistics in Ladakh even describes the moment as a “dramatic change” which imposed “changing the total approach” of the country.
Most of the new Indian projects will aim to connect high-altitude areas where military posts are located and civilian communities that are isolated for months. Among the works is the Zojila tunnelcut into the rock at an altitude of about 3,500 meters, in northern India. The $750 million project kicked off just a few months after the 2020 clash and is expected to shorten and stabilize access to Ladakh, a strategic region that can be covered by snow for up to six months a year. According to a former commander of the Northern Command of the Indian army, the work will reduce each truck trip by a few hours and allow supplies to be made throughout the year.
According to the North American newspaper’s sources, each soldier needs around 100 kilos of supplies per month, and a small post with around 30 soldiers can consume approximately 50 liters of fuel per day. In many cases, this load has to be carried “on the shoulder” in the last few kilometers. The tunnel reduces dependence on roads exposed to snowfall and shortens routes.
Right now, India’s biggest obstacle will not even be China, but rather adverse conditions of the enormous mountain range: sub-zero temperatures, landslides, avalanches have postponed the completion of Zojila — currently aiming for mid-2028.
But there are sensitive points where India wants to build, such as there Pangong Tsoan alpine lake about 130 kilometers long that stretches from Ladakh to the Tibet Autonomous Region. The area has been the scene of several incidents between patrols from both countries. After 2020, Beijing accelerated the construction of buildings, trenches and roads in the area, interpreted as a show of force and reinforcement of presence. Despite a 2021 agreement for partial demobilization in the Pangong Tso zone, both sides maintain a military presence. The difference compared to the period before 2020 is the frequency and intensity of surveillance: instead of sporadic patrols, India began to prioritize constant monitoring of the Chinese movement.
Numbers do not hide reality, on the contrary. The budget of the Border Roads Organization, a construction agency under the Ministry of Defense, rose to 810 million dollars this year, compared to 280 million in 2020, according to the Wall Street Journal. Over the same period, India’s total military expenditure increased by almost 60% to $80 billion. And India has built more than 30 heliports and modernized or built several airstrips along the border.
One of the new investments is the nova base aérea de Mudh-Nyomain Ladakh, located at almost 4,300 meters. Installation is described as the Indian airfield closest to the border, about 30 kilometers away of territory controlled by China. And the runway is capable of receiving heavier transport aircraft, including models of North American origin such as the C-130J, and should function as a support platform for the projection of troops and equipment to advanced areas.
But analysts remember: from the Indian point of view, opening roads could facilitate an adversary advance. And India’s new infrastructure could increase the likelihood of incidents by allowing both sides to more easily reach areas where they previously patrolled less.
