US Must Keep Boosting Military Ties with India to Counter China

A ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) is calling on the U.S. Navy to strengthen its ties with India and the Indian Navy to further counter Chinese maritime expansionism.

“I think there’s great opportunity with the nation of India to continue to grow that relationship," said long-time HASC member Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA).

"I’ve been there to visit several times with their military leaders and they are very interested because of what China’s doing with the One Belt One Road –which essentially surrounds India."

Wittman said India "feels threatened with that, as they should–looks to the United States to partner even more. The Indian government is recapitalizing their fleet of (Indian Navy) ships, building 45 new ships, which is a pretty big task. We need to do more of the work with them.”

Adopted in 2013, the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative created by President Xi Jinping is a global infrastructure development strategy that's building roads and ports in some 70 countries. China expects to complete OBOR in 2049.

Wittman contends the Department of Defense, the U.S. defense industry and Congress must work to guarantee the U.S. gets more “capability and capacity” out of each dollar than China or Russia get out of theirs.

He said spending smart is a must given the U.S. won't ever have the unlimited resources to outspend both China and Russia. The U.S. also has to do things differently to stay ahead of China in the arms race.

“It can’t all be about defensive systems. It can’t be all about offensive systems," according to Wittman.

"It has to be about how do we do things thoughtfully to impose risks upon the Chinese, to impose uncertainty upon the Chinese, to make sure that they have to expend more of their dollars to counter that uncertainty, which helps us in being able to maintain and I hope being able to outpace them.”

Rep. Rob Wittman

Wittman said one key area where the U.S. Navy can outpace China is in unmanned platforms, which consist unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned underwater vessels (UUVs).

Wittman emphasized it’s important the Navy take the correct approach as it develops and builds new unmanned ships critical to the U.S. Navy maintaining control over the vast waters of the Indo-Pacific.

He also said the U.S. must improve its relationships with Indo-Pacific nations both strategically and economically. He admits the U.S. is not going to be able to go it alone against China.

"We will not have the ability just with economic resources that we have here at home to do all of this by ourselves," Wittman pointed out.

He said partnerships created by the United States in the Indo-Pacific are crucial because the current environment includes several threats (China, Russia and terrorism), unlike the Cold War era when the single U.S. foe was the erstwhile Soviet Union. (Jan. 27, 2021)

India Downplays Latest Bloody Border Clash With Chinese

India keeps downplaying a Chinese military incursion in the Nathu La pass between Bhutan and Nepal as nothing serious despite Indian media reports to the contrary.

An Indian Army statement dismissed reports of a bloody incursion by the Chinese military, saying there "was a minor face-off at Nathu La area of North Sikkim on 20 January 2021 and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols."

This "minor incident" was only revealed Monday by the Indian Army. It occurred in north Sikkim and has since been "resolved," said the army.

The incursion was later identified as a Chinese border patrol that tried to enter Indian territory, but was forced back, said the army.

On the other hand, Indian media is reporting a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops. What occurred last week was a bloody brawl between Indian and Chinese troops that resulted in injuries to men on both sides, said the Indian magazine, Swarajya, which labeled the incident a "unilateral aggression by China."

The magazine said Indian soldiers fought-off the Chinese intruders

The weekly English-language magazine India Today claims 20 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) were injured in the melee, as well as four Indian Army soldiers.

The most serious clash between both sides since the deadly June 15, 2020 fight in Ladakh occurred before India and China began their ninth round of military-to-military talks to resolve disputes around the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh region. The marathon talks lasted 16 hour. Results have not been made public.

The Sikkim region between Bhutan and Nepal is some 2,500 km (1,500 miles) east of the Ladakh. This night time fist fight in mountainous terrain in sub-zero temperatures led to the deaths of 20 Indian Army soldiers and at least 50 men of the PLAGF.

The "violent face-off" took place at the high-altitude terrain of the disputed Galwan Valley along the porous border called the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The LAC, which is 3,488 kilometers long, separates India's Ladakh province from China's Aksai-Chin region

The fatal clash was not unexpected. It followed a six-week-long stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers marked by fistfights and stone-throwing. Several soldiers from both sides were injured in a May 9 brawl. (Jan. 26, 2021)