Long haul: The massive logistics effort behind keeping Indian troops battle ready in Ladakh

With tensions between the two sides showing no signs of ebbing, the Indian Army has already mobilised its vast supply chain network to ensure that the reported 40,000 troops stationed at the LAC are prepared. Typically manned by somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 troops, the flare-up in July that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers at the Galwan Valley, have seen additional deployments that, according to some reports, have doubled the contingent present in the region.

The Air Force has been key to this deploying the strategic lift transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster and the Russian-made Ilyushin—76 Gajraj, as well as the medium-lift tactical aircraft Antonov-32 and Chinook helicopters.

By some accounts, approximately 60 per cent of the logistical requirements transported into the region is made up of fuel, oil and lubricants.

Despite the current calm that ensues at the Line of Actual Control following the Moscow pact agreed upon by India and China's foreign ministers, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh last week, while briefing Parliament, stated that the Indian Army had undertaken all military and logistical preparations to combat the Chinese threat in Eastern Ladakh in the eventuality that the heightened tensions bubble over into violent conflict.

The recent months have seen India undertake one of the largest logistical and supply chain exercises in its history as it attempts to equip its troops in Eastern Ladakh with the gear and supplies required to navigate what is likely to be a long and brutal winter. From heating appliances to cold climate clothing to food rations to fuel and Arctic tents, all supplies have now, reportedly, reached the forward areas in Ladakh.

The region, which sees sub-zero temperatures that fall as low as negative 40 degrees Celsius, is, for all intents and purposes, cut off from the rest of the country during the winter months. With tensions between the two sides showing no signs of ebbing, the Indian Army has already mobilised its vast supply chain network to ensure that the reported 40,000 troops now stationed at various parcels of terrain near the LAC are prepared to endure the wintry chill. With the imminent inauguration of the Atal Tunnel, the Ladakh region will also benefit from almost all-weather connectivity.