Sep 23, 2026 16:35 pm IST

Opinion | China Claims It Has Cut Troops At The Indian Border. But The Math Doesn't Add Up

The reduction likely has more to do with the deployment along the LAC than the total strength active in the region

Anushka Saxena Anushka Saxena Columnist

Anushka Saxena Columnist

The Ministry of Defence released its Annual Report for 2025-26 on September 14 this year, and it speaks to vital challenges facing India's northern border with China, even as it sweeps the naval frontier under the rug. Nonetheless, an interesting facet buried in the Indian Army chapter is an assertion that becomes critical to understanding the organisation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theatre Command (WTC), which is the theatre designed to operate exclusively in India's operational direction. It says: "The year 2025 witnessed a significant reduction in the deployment of PLA Forces opposite Northern Borders, with 10 Combined Arms Brigade (CAB) size forces each deployed in areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in traditional training areas."

A few important conclusions can be drawn from this assertion. Firstly, the operative phrase "each" indicates that 20 CABs/CAB-sized forces have been identified along the LAC and in the depths of the WTC's coverage, particularly in its Xinjiang and Tibet military districts (MDs). That troop strength lies somewhere between 90,000 and 1,20,000 in the theatre's India-facing posture, after what the report calls a significant reduction. But, the reduction, or drawdown, likely has more to do with the deployment along the LAC than........

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