Jammu, July 14 -- Parallels are rife between the India-China border war of 1962 and the current border standoff in eastern Ladakh. The border war was preceded by a rash of statements not backed by military capabilities on the ground. As Indian troops were overrun in what is now Arunachal Pradesh, the government kept the Indian Air Force, then among the most effective in Asia, out of the conflict.

The IAF could've bought the beleaguered Army time if its jets had struck the PLA's supply lines (the PLA did not bring aircraft to the conflict). The IAF was kept out because of a misplaced fear of Chinese bombers attacking Calcutta. The situation on the ground today is different. Two infantry divisions and special forces were pushed into the fr...