India's Himalayan Push: Building Future-Ready Border Defenses Against China

• India is undertaking a massive infrastructure push, building roads, tunnels, and airstrips along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
• The initiative stems from the 2020 clash, which exposed India's logistical gaps compared to China's extensive border infrastructure.
• Key projects include the Zojila tunnel (over $750 million) for year-round Ladakh access and the Mudh-Nyoma airbase (19 miles from China) for heavy transport aircraft.
• Supplying high-altitude posts remains challenging, requiring complex logistics involving trucks, smaller vehicles, porters, and mules.
• This 'dramatic shift in thinking' aims for deterrence, not a race, acknowledging past reluctance to build border infrastructure.

Why It Matters: India dramatically boosts border infrastructure along the LAC to overcome logistical gaps and deter China.