India forms Mountain Strike Corps to counter china

To counter the rising Chinese defense capabilities on the eastern borders, the Indian authorities have approved the formation of a special army mountain strike corps to guard borders with China, official sources revealed on Thursday. The sources said that the new strike formation would comprise more than 45, 000 soldiers who would be deployed along the Line of Actual Control ( LAC - a disputed border dividing India and China). "It will give the army the capability to mount offensive action into the eastern borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region in case of any misadventure by Chinese forces," officials revealed. The formation of the strike corps is expected to cost a whopping RS 62,000, they said. The "new mountain strike corps will have two infantry divisions, an artillery division, and two independent armoured brigades," they added. The official sources said the decision to form the mountain strike corps along the china border was taken during a high-level ministerial meeting chaired by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, late Wednesday evening. This formation of the new corps coincides with India's upgrading of its defense infrastructure on the disputed eastern borders to counter the assertive Peoples Army of China, a defense expert told KUNA. The expert said the border tensions between India and China along the LAC have become a regular feature over the past few years. The expert said the recent three-week border face-off between Indian and the Chinese Army in disputed Kashmir's region of Ladakh has lent urgency to strengthening the defense capabilities of the army on the eastern borders. The media also reported India was beefing up its missile and fighter capabilities along the China borders as well. India is wary of a Chinese upper hand in the eastern region. China has about five fully-operational airbases, a well-laid rail network, and over 58, 000 km of roads along the Indian border. "India wants to catch up with the burgeoning military capabilities of China on its eastern borders. This is one step in that direction," the defense expert said.