There will be a significant alteration to the Indian Army’s Order of Battle against China. The Army has been sparingly manning the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the middle sector; intentions are to commit corps-level forces (about 30,000–50,000 men) to protect it.

According to sources, the Army is “actively considering” creating a full-fledged XVIII Corps to guard China’s borders out of the Central Command’s Headquarters Uttar Bharat region, which is situated in Bareilly.

According to a source, “the proposal will soon be sent to the Ministry of Defence for approval.” The Indian Army, with 1.2 million soldiers, is divided into six operational commands, each of which is further subdivided into 14 corps and 49 divisions.

Following the 2020 stalemate in eastern Ladakh, some 68,000 Indian Army soldiers were mobilised.

Since then, the Army has deployed along the LAC as a precaution. The Middle Sector was covered, particularly in Uttarakhand, which consists of four valleys: Harshil, Mana, Niti, and Barahoti.

Army officers pushed for the strategy, according to sources. “Lt Gen NS Rajasubramani, Lt Gen JP Mathews, and Lt Gen RC Tiwari have supported the plan,” the source stated, adding, “In the case of the XVIII Corps, there may be a Division and few Brigades at first.” He mentioned that in the future, this might be raised to two.