https://twitter.com/nitingokhale/status ... 8235013122Nitin A. Gokhale Verified account @nitingokhale
Coming in late on this because of travel but the debate on Mountain Strike Corps is based on a flawed premise. It has not been abandoned, only slowed down. That's the first point. Secondly, new raisings have been staggered because infrastructure has to be in place as a first step
>> For instance, infrastructure under 14 Corps is being beefed up gradually. Funds crunch apart, terrain and weather precludes rapid progress. If brigades have to be deployed in the harsh terrain, they need proper support, roads for guaranteed supplies, logistics bases and airfields.
>> In Arunachal and Sikkim, feeder and strategic roads, ALGs are being put in place over the past decade but any additional forces to be stationed in the region will require a far more all-weather infrastructure support which has only minimum disruption. Force deployment thereafter.
>> Finally, it is instructive to remember that the MSC was sanctioned in 2013 without any allocation of specific fund for its raising, just to ward off the criticism following the Depsang episode. It was a diversionary tactic.