DNA Edit | Enemy at the gates: Establishment must heed Army Chief’s warning

Amid the uneasy calm, punctuated by a brief spell of bonhomie at the BRICS summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Army chief General Bipin Rawat’s dire warning, following de-escalation in the Doklam conflict, puts India’s situation in perspective.

New Delhi has to contend with two hostile neighbours, and letting its guard down would be perilous. Trust China to be unpredictable, and Pakistan to exploit any border skirmish between China and India. With his ear to the ground, General Rawat wasn’t being the least jingoistic. He wants the nation to be battle-ready, regardless of the statements churned out in diplomatic enclaves.

The term ‘salami slicing’ — a euphemism for the carving up of India in a slow but steady manner by China — to test New Delhi’s threshold limit is a chilling prospect. In view of the General’s claim that Beijing has already begun flexing its muscles, India should beef up its military strength exponentially.

What the nation needs now are a well-defined national security strategy and a comprehensive defence review. In its 2014 review, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had noted that 50 per cent of equipment held by the Indian Army is obsolete and that 33 per cent provided by the DRDO is sub-standard. An ill-equipped army will be sitting ducks for the Chinese — as evident in the 1962 war.

Post-war, some parts of Northeast India are still under Chinese occupation. In its bid to create instability, Beijing has also been known to foment trouble in the Northeast by supplying arms to insurgent groups. Over the last few years, its covert and overt support to Pakistan, financially, diplomatically and militarily, has emboldened Islamabad, India’s sworn enemy.

That means if there is ever a war with Pakistan, China’s strategic location will enable it to marshal resources much before India’s allies show up in full strength. A superior military foe with an authoritarian government and a compliant press, China, as General Rawat mentioned, is adept at both conventional and psychological warfare.

While India can engage in talks with China for a so-called peaceful solution to territorial disputes, it shouldn’t be taken in by Jinping’s smooth-talking. That is the essence of General Rawat’s statement. Neither should New Delhi harbour the misconception that credible deterrence such as nuclear weapons can ‘deter war’ or that it “will not allow nations to go to war”, especially, in this context.

New Delhi’s peace overtures will be taken far more seriously if both its adversaries are aware of its military muscle.