Letters | Growing US emphasis on the Himalayan front alters Indo-Pacific security architecture
- Readers discuss the implications for China of closer US-India military ties, and the Beijing-Moscow friendship
The exercise was conducted concomitantly with the 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) in New Delhi. The US and India jointly hosted 18 army chiefs on September 26 and 27. How do Yudh Abhyas and IPACC fit into the US Indo-Pacific strategy? Why should China be concerned?
However, at IPACC, India’s defence minister said the Indo-Pacific was no longer a maritime construct but a full-fledged “geostrategic construct”, implying that the Indo-Pacific cannot be stable if the Himalayas remain unstable.
General Randy George, chief of staff of the US army, noted that “land power” contributes to shared security and is “decisive”. He said the IPAAC network is building “a security architecture that binds this region together”, implicitly connecting the security of the LAC with that of the South China Sea.
Lately, there has reportedly been an increase in intelligence sharing between the US and India in the Himalayas. The footprints of the US’ Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture imagery and the signals intelligence satellites over the LAC are especially relevant. The launch of the bilateral defence acceleration ecosystem INDUS-X in June further expands the exchange of strategic technology and defence cooperation between the two countries.