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LESSON FROM STANDOFF: There is belated realisation that China is the biggest adversary, with the only antidote being capability-building. PTI
Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd)
Former Western Army Commander
VICENNIAL is a rarely used term, defined as ‘occurring once every 20 years’. The first two decades of the 21st century are over. Ravaged by Covid-19, India has skipped annual, let alone decadal or vicennial strategic reviews. In our context, the period from 2001 to 2020 is unique, meriting a special analysis. It triggered a slew of reforms in the aftermath of the Kargil shock in 1999 and ended with the attempted Ladakh grab by China, catalysing more reforms. On both occasions, the armed forces reacted admirably to restore the situation, notwithstanding our propensity to get surprised.