In what is seen by strategic and military experts as the final set of talks between India and China on the military lines / channels to douse the flaring stand off between the Asian neighbors at the Ladakh sector, top level general officers from both the Indian and Chinese Army will hold a key meeting tomorrow at the Border Personnel Meeting point at Maldo in Chushul, with an endeavor to clamp down the simmering stand-off between the nations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In what can be termed as a never seen before or a historic first, a Lieutenant General-ranked officer from the Indian Army (three star General officer who commands a Corps, Indian Army's Field Formation) will lead border dispute talks from the Indian side with the Chinese counterparts.
The border dispute talks from the Indian Army's side will be spearheaded by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who is the Corps commander (GOC-In-C) of the Leh-based 14 Corps. Nicknamed the 'Fire and Fury Corps' in the military parlance, the 14 Corps is one of the three Corps, that forms part of the Indian Army's Northern Command, based out of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir.

It is notable that multiple talks starting at the battalion, brigade (Brigadier-led) and division level (Major General-commanded) failed to materialize to defuse the border tensions, leading to the only option of initiating talks at the second highest level in the command and control structure of the army, namely a Corps.

 



India- China Stand Off Along Line Of Actual Control In Ladakh Region

The Asian military powerhouses have been at loggerheads with troops from both armies engaging in brawls,fist fights and physical altercations , leading to escalations between two of the most powerful armies in strategic locations along the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh sector.




As per media reports, China has made advancements via skirmishes / incursions into certain Indian occupied territories in the Galwan valley and Pangang Tso Lake region in Ladakh. China has also significantly built up its military presence by a massive deployment of infantry soldiers, artillery guns and logistic support along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh sector.

A look into the military and career profile of Lt Gen Harinder Singh (14 Corps Commander)


An infantry officer with vast experience in counter insurgency and mountain warfare, Lt General Harinder assumed command of the Leh-headquarters 14 Corps on October 14, 2019. Before assuming the command of ‘Fire & Fury Corps’, he served as the Director-General Military Intelligence (DGMI) at the Army headquarters. The General officer has tenanted various command, staff and instructional appointments in a career which has spanned over three decades.An alumnus of the National Defense Academy, Lt Gen Harinder Singh got commissioned into the Indian Army's Maratha Light Infantry (MLI), one of Indian Army's oldest and highly decorated infantry regiment. A graduate from the Defense Service Staff College (DSSC), Lt Gen Harinder commanded a Rashtriya Rifles (RR) battalion in North Kashmir which saw him leading counter insurgency operations in the highly sensitive region.

He went onto command an infantry brigade group as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo and then took over as a Division commander of an infantry Division in North Kashmir.

In a paper titled 'India's Emerging Land Warfighting Doctrines and Capabilities' in 2010, Lt Gen Singh offered his insight into the long standing border tensions with China.
The 14 Corps based out of Leh is responsible to guard India's frontiers in the mountainous Ladakh region adjoining both China and Pakistan. The formation's area of operation and military deployment covers the highly strategic Kargil-Leh-Drass sector, besides defending the nation's frontier in the highest battlefield of the world, the Siachen glacier.