Just a few months ago, in Aug 2017 in a strategically significant move, India poured in more troops along the border with China in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim area as a response to heightened rhetoric by the capital city of China, Beijing city over the Doklam standoff. And now China has done the same thing. China has equipped a branch of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deployed along the Indian border. China’s army deployment with a powerful system which is actually a very powerful US-style integrated individual soldier combat system to prepare for a future “informatized warfare”.
This Informatised warfare is a little bit confusing term in India but it’s a term widely used by the Chinese military officers in recent years refers to the use of digital and artificial intelligence applications in battlefield conditions. At that time India decided to increase military along the Sino-India border from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh. The decision was actually taken after carrying out a detailed analysis of the situation. The length of the Sino-India border is nearly 1,400-km. It was done by considering China’s aggressive posturing against our country on Doklam point. The Indian Army’s Sukna-based thirty-three Corps, as well as three and four corps based in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam state, were tasked with protecting the sensitivity of the Sino-India border in the eastern part of India.
Although the actual figure they didn’t disclose, as per report roughly 45,000 troops including personnel having completed the weather acclimatization process were kept ready along the border at any time.
This time China has deployed QTS-11. This QTS-11 system not only contains firearms but also a full digitalized integrated individual soldier combat system. This is the strongest individual firepower in the world. This system can help army men for the detection and communications. The system also includes an assault rifle and 20-millimeter grenade launcher, which is capable of destroying antipersonnel targets. Each individual soldier equipped with this system is armed with a thermal imager and optoelectronic and GPS systems. As per the news report- QTS-11 system weighs up to seven kgs only. According to a military man, “The individual soldier combat system is only a part of the digitalized army, something countries are trying to do. Developing this integrated individual soldier combat system QTS-11 adapts to informative warfare in the future”.
Last year, during the 73-day Doklam standoff, the Chinese military carried out a media blitzkrieg, highlighting deployment of new battle tank as well as huge military exercises on the Tibetan plateau.
The Doklam standoff over Chinese PLA’s attempts to build a road close to the strategic narrow corridor in North East region ended after the Chinese military stopped the construction work for road building in the area which is also claimed by a neighboring country, Bhutan. This type of integrated combat system was first time developed by the United States but actually, they have dropped the research regarding the system due to weight problems. And now China is using the same technology.
