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�Army fully geared to fight full-fledged war in eastern Ladakh�

Jammu, 16-September-2020

Asserting that it is fully prepared to fight a full-fledged war even in winters in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army on Wednesday said if China created conditions for war, they will face a better trained, better prepared, fully rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops.
In a statement, it said compared to physically and psychologically battle-hardened Indian troops, Chinese troops are mostly from urban areas and not used to hardships or prolonged deployment under field conditions.
The Army's Northern Command made these assertions after reacting to China's official media Global Times reports that India's operational logistics is not geared up adequately and it will not be able to fight through winters effectively.
�This can best be attributed to ignorance. Indian Army is fully prepared and more than capable of fighting a full-fledged war even in winters in eastern Ladakh,� a Northern Command spokesperson said here.
�India is a peace-loving country and wishes to have good relations with its neighbours. India always prefers to resolve issues through dialogue. While talks are in progress to resolve the border issues with China in eastern Ladakh, at the military level it is well prepared for the prolonged stand-off,� he said.
He said altitudes in Ladakh range from �high to super-high altitude� and there is a lot of snowfall � up to 40 feet after November. �In addition, we have a large number of airbases with the help of which we can maintain the Army well. Modern snow clearing equipment has also been placed on these routes to keep them open beyond November, thus giving us more time for daily maintenance of the troops,� he said.
The spokesperson said special fuel and lubricants for tanks and armoured personnel carriers have also been stocked adequately, including spares for their maintenance.
�Water points and tube wells have been established for the troops and animals like mules and yaks. The living barracks have also been prepared which are comfortable and warm,� he said.
He said facilities such as the central heating system are some of the high points of these facilities.
�Ammunition of various types including small arms, missiles and tank and artillery ammunition have also been adequately stocked. The medical system is also in place for any eventuality.�
The spokesperson said, �China's concept has always been to win the wars without fighting, hence if they create conditions for war, they will come across better trained, better prepared, fully rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops.
�These worries have been percolating in the minds of Chinese troops and are visible in Chinese media,� he said.