Deploying Scout Battalion to Defend Ladakh

Context: Additional Ladakh Scout battalions should be raised to deal with Chinese incursions in harsh climatic conditions.

Challenges in guarding the northern border:

• Massive Chinese build-up: Opposite the frontage in eastern Ladakh, and its repeated incursions along the LAC.
• Difficult adaptation: High-altitude and glacial areas along the frontiers with China, where time-consuming acclimatisation becomes mandatory.
• Moving and locating a division-sized force at the designated location in Ladakh may not solve the problem due to harsh climatic conditions.

Way Forward:

• Strict acclimatisation procedure: Need to be ensured, along with the provision for suitable habitat, routine administration, and fool-proof logistics support.
• Additional infantry division: To be suitably located in Ladakh and dedicated for application in eastern Ladakh.
• Additional Ladakh Scout battalions: The formation should be raised as an infantry division with the primary task of holding ground and scouting role as the secondary requirement. 

• Their biological constitution helps them to operate with ease in the high-altitude environment. 

• This would mitigate operational and logistics problems related to the immediate availability of infantry reserves. 
• They can also be inducted into the mechanised forces to match up to China. 

• Undertaking offensive options: Timely launch of offensive operations by India could foreclose many offensive options available to the Chinese. 
• Reviving Mountain Strike Corps with more additional forces to guard the Himalayan border.