The writer is one of the most respected subject matter experts who has requested to remain anonymous.

The Chinese are peeved with us and are attempting to put us “in place”. We should retaliate by getting our troops together to oppose any incursion. We must also gather together at places where the Chinese are not present. All this is a logistics exercise as I don’t foresee any major clash such as in 1962.

The ominous silence from the CDS indicates that either the matter is serious, or he has been directed not to talk about it.

We should not get diverted by this Sabre rattling and continue with our effort to set the economy straight.

We have concentrated for too long on the IOR region, while our land borders remain relatively insecure. Even the road to Tawang is still in so bad a shape, despite it being the epicentre of the 1962 operations. Fortunately the Helilift capacity has improved, but this is not a substitute for roads.

“We should retaliate by getting our troops together to oppose any incursion. We must also gather together at places where the Chinese are not present. All this is a logistics exercise as I don’t foresee any major clash such as in 1962.”

The need for a third aircraft carrier is being debated at present! When your house is on fire you don’t plan a swimming pool!

The IOR region is as benign as it was before for us. We have aten is to one lead over Pakistan and 20 is to one over China in this region, in ships alone. Spending money at this stage on the IOR plays into the hands of the Americans, who want us to police this region because they find it too expensive for them. The Chinese threat in this IOR is being overstated. China wants the Indian Ocean open, just like us.

The present situation is that we will win in Malacca and loose at Dhoklam.