Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh): Over the last few years China resorted to many acts of aggression against India. The dragon breathed fire, tried arm twisting and at times came face to face with Indian soldiers.
But the Indian security forces were able to keep the enemy at bay — be it in Doklam, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh or in Uttarakhand.
ETV crew travelled to one of the most heavily guarded tactical points in Arunachal Pradesh to get a sense of how the Indian Army defends it's territorial sovereignty. Assam Hill, a tactical forward post of the Indian Army, provides a bird's eye view for the forces to monitor large swathes of LAC's hilly terrains.
The army calls it the Integrated Defended Territory.
Assam Hill is roughly 35-km away from Tawang which has seen the ravages of war once in 1962.
Here, not only the enemy that our forces have to be wary of but harsh weather conditions and treacherous terrains - making the job exponentially harder.
Mental and physical health of the soldiers manning this post is put to test, every day.
They undertake rigorous training regimes to remain physically responsive and mentally awake.
Major Rufus Johnson who is the company commander of Assam Hill forward post says there is no room for sloppiness.
To keep the forces mentally and physically agile, the company follows Plan 190.
'Plan 190' is the combination of 160 repetitions of physical exercises, 20 minutes of aggressive training and 10 minutes of meditation over a span of 24 hours
"To deal with a wicked enemy and to fulfil our unique op role here, it is important that we stay physically fit. Also, we instill agressiveness in our soldiers. Every soldier deployed here goes through this training every day," said Major Johnson.
The aggressive training component of Plan 190 is quite spectacular to watch. It includes hammering and throwing of truck tyres, hand-to-hand combat, boxing and wood chopping.
A prominent feature of Assam Hill Barrack is a huge wall writing that reads 'Kill or be Killed'. It also explains why the training regimes are kept intense for the soldiers of Assam Hill.
"We are facing a crooked enemy, if you don't kill you are likely to be killed. In order to avoid ourselves being killed we have to kill," said Major Aditya, an officer deployed on Assam Hill.
Assam Hill which more or less experiences cold weather throughout the year - harshest in winter. With 6-ft snow cover, freezing cold virtually isolates the post from the rest of the world.
Extra Cold Climate (ECC) clothing, goggles and warm bunkers guard the troops against the bone-chilling cold of the winter months.
Rations are pre-dumped and a continuous supply of water to bunkers are ensured. The engineering corps of the Army has used a special piping system to prevent freezing of water during the winter.
Brigadier Vijay Jagtap who is the commander of the Tawang Brigade of the Indian Army says the cold weather never deters the operational efficiency of the company deployed on Assam Hill.
"You have to see the weather, terrain and the altitude here. And, we have to deal with the enemy also. So you have to have extremely high physical fitness. Apart from the normal routine training we carry out, we train to instil aggression. (With intense training regime) we have fewer people going in for sick reports or people falling ill. The best part for the army is, the worst the weather, the better it is," said Brigadier Jagtap.
On the battlefront, the troops of Assam Hill depend on the most modern warfare technologies to surveil the LAC and adjacent regions. Modern radar systems which can alert enemy movements from another side of the border, the live video feed from a quadcopter — giving the troops eyes on the region ahead of the LAC — tactical video streamer which can give live feeds from the trans-border patrols are some of the technologies which allow the Army to be ahead in action.
"The most vital aspect of modern-day warfare is battlefield transparency. So the commander can make an informed and timely decision during the battle," Major Johnson noted.
Platoon commanders and an engineer detachment ahead of the company commander's defences, making minefields, ditches and denial schemes for the enemy, help safeguard Tawang against sudden advances of the enemy.
What's more, guarding the LAC near Assam HIll is an artillery detachment led by an army officer who can target tank and infantry columns that advance on short notice. Air support for the Integrated Defended Locality also makes it a multi-pronged offensive hub.
