Recently, as the Indian army no longer takes the initiative to provoke, the game between China and India around the border area has also entered a period of stagnation. At this time, the Himalayas are going through the trials of winter. Cold temperatures and heavy snow have made the mountain range even harsher, making it difficult for Indian troops to stay in such an environment for long. Moreover, the snow blocked the roads, putting more pressure on the logistics of the Indian army. This winter is like a super troublemaker for the Indian army. The superiority in forces became useless, and the Indian army had to face the gap with the PLA. This is one of the reasons why India often provokes in the summer and autumn seasons. They hope to be able to successfully encroach on the territory on the Chinese side at these times, and then settle the border issue before winter sets in.
However, after the recent disclosure of the interview records of some high-ranking Indian military officials, the outside world discovered that there were other factors that made the Indian army reduce the frequency of border provocations. In addition to the harsh environment in the Himalayas, there are also negative emotions within the Indian army. This sentiment is mainly due to the widening power gap between China and India. Although by our standards, the Indian army is not very strong. However, if measured by the average standards of the world's armed forces, the Indian army can be called a strong army, second only to China, the United States and Russia. This is not an exaggeration, but the consensus of the vast majority of military analysts, including "global firepower"**. The first is India's Army. As the world's most populous country, India has huge human resources.
Despite a series of constraints, India does not utilize this pool of human resources very well, but it still has a standing army of more than 1.2 million men and a reserve army force of 900,000 troops. Moreover, the Indian army also has certain advantages in equipment and technology, and has considerable strength. In addition to the army, India's navy and air force are also not to be underestimated. The Navy has several aircraft carriers and advanced submarines that can demonstrate its strength in the Indian Ocean. The Air Force has advanced fighter jets and missile systems that can strike in the air. On the whole, India's military strength should not be underestimated. Despite some internal problems and challenges, they are still a strong country. This is one of the reasons why the Sino-Indian border issue has not been resolved.
However, we should also note that China, as the world's second largest economy and military power, has a strong comprehensive strength. In the border dispute with India, China has the confidence and ability to defend its interests. India's military power is indeed jaw-dropping, especially the number of more than 2,000 T-90S main battle tanks, plus T-72 and various models of infantry fighting vehicles, India's mechanized forces are even larger than Russia's, which is really breathtaking!However, India's air force and navy are not inferior, especially the ridiculed LCA Tejas fighter, although it is not very domestic, but it can still make other countries unmatched. In addition, India also has its own Su-30MKI, although the domestic production rate is not high, but the size of the fleet can still be expanded.
The Indian Navy is even better, capable of assembling imported components into serviceable destroyers, and is one of the few countries in the world capable of building modern aircraft carriers. It's a military power!India's biggest dilemma, however, lies with China as a neighbor. China's development speed far exceeds India's, so that no matter how India catches up, the power gap is widening. Although India and China spend a similar proportion of their defense spending to China and the United States, China can alarm the United States with much less money than the United States, while India cannot get China's attention. Many of India's military leaders are also aware of the reality of the power gap between China and India, and although they are still shouting slogans in words, they are only perfunctory in action.
Therefore, without world-class powers such as China, the United States and Russia as neighbors, India may become the hegemon of the whole of South Asia or even most of Asia in the future, but the reality is so tragic. The gap in strength between the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Indian army has always been a topic of concern. One of the reasons for this is the difference in industrial capacity. China is one of the largest industrial countries in the world, so it can produce a large number of ** equipment on its own, which allows the Chinese army to play the effect of 1 yuan equal to 2 yuan on the battlefield more calmly. India, on the other hand, relies on imported equipment, and although they are also trying to produce their own, there is still a big gap in their industrial capacity compared to China. This gap has resulted in a much lower utilization rate of military spending for the Indian army than for China.
China's industrial capabilities have also provided great support for the PLA's strength, such as the outstanding performance of its domestic Type 05 self-propelled howitzer in highland Xi. In contrast, the Indian army's system construction is relatively imperfect, although they have purchased a large number of advanced **, but there is no supporting combat command system to give full play to the advantages of these equipment. This also makes the Indian army, although it has a lot of technical equipment, but it cannot really take advantage of them. Therefore, the Indian army lags behind China in terms of the efficiency of military spending and the construction of advanced equipment, which makes their overall strength far behind China. Of course, this gap can be broken.
If the Indian armed forces can achieve a qualitative leap in overall strength, they may be able to arouse the vigilance of the United States and our attention like China. However, this requires the Indian army to constantly improve its system construction and make more efficient use of military spending. Only in this way can they really get out of the trough and achieve better development.