China significantly reduced the deployment of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along India’s Northern Borders during 2025, with around 10 Combined Arms Brigade-sized forces positioned opposite the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in traditional training areas, according to the Indian Army’s Annual Report 2025-26.
The assessment comes against the backdrop of renewed military and diplomatic engagement between India and China following the prolonged border tensions that began in eastern Ladakh in 2020. According to the Army report, the reduction in Chinese deployment, coupled with sustained political, diplomatic and military engagement, contributed to greater stability along the Northern Borders.
Despite the reported reduction in PLA deployment, the Indian Army has maintained a robust posture across all sectors of the LAC. The report stated that Indian deployments remain well-poised to respond to any emerging contingency, indicating that the reduction in Chinese troop presence has not resulted in any relaxation of India’s operational preparedness.
The Army’s assessment highlights a calibrated approach along the Northern Borders, combining military readiness with mechanisms for dialogue and confidence-building. Military dialogue between the two countries resumed during 2025, including the 23rd Corps Commander-level/Senior Highest Military Commander-level meeting held in eastern Ladakh in October 2025.
Border Personnel Meetings with the PLA also continued across all sectors during the year. The Army said these engagements were conducted in a cordial environment and provided both sides with a mechanism to raise and address issues of concern.
The developments mark an important phase in the management of the India-China border situation, where sustained military preparedness continues alongside diplomatic and military-level engagement. The Army’s report, however, does not suggest that the underlying security challenge has disappeared. Instead, it indicates that improved stability is being accompanied by continued vigilance and preparedness.
The report also highlighted the lessons emerging from Operation Sindoor, stating that the operation demonstrated India’s multi-domain capabilities, intelligence dominance, technological edge and joint operational readiness. Following the operation, the Army undertook a review of capability gaps, with force restructuring, greater jointness and induction of emerging technologies identified among the key areas of focus.
The emphasis on technology and jointness reflects the changing character of warfare and the requirement for the Army to operate across multiple domains. The experience of recent operations has reinforced the importance of integrated intelligence, rapid decision-making, technological absorption and coordination among the three services and other national security agencies.
While the Northern Borders witnessed greater stability, the Army’s annual assessment also recorded significant security developments along India’s western front and in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Army said the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir remained firmly under control during 2025, with violence levels declining, protests reducing and zero incidents of stone pelting recorded during the year. It also noted increasing participation of local people in government and Army-led development initiatives.
However, the security situation along the Line of Control remained subject to unpredictability. Following the talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan on May 10 and 12, 2025, the situation stabilised to a large extent, although the Army continued to maintain that the environment remained unpredictable.
According to the report, six infiltration attempts were made by terrorists along the Line of Control during 2025. Twelve Pakistani terrorists were neutralised while attempting to cross the LoC. While infiltration attempts declined compared with previous years, the Army assessed that terrorists were increasingly shifting attention towards the International Border, particularly for the movement of narcotics and war-like stores.
Ceasefire violations, meanwhile, increased sharply after Operation Sindoor. The Army recorded 163 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in 2025, compared with only two in 2024. Of these, 124 violations occurred during Operation Sindoor, highlighting the intensity of the security environment during the period.
Another major concern identified by the Army was the increasing use of drones along India’s western border. A total of 863 drone intrusions were reported during 2025, including nine along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir and 854 in Punjab and Rajasthan.
The Army said Indian security forces employed spoofers and jammers to counter the unmanned aerial threat and brought down 237 drones during the year. Of these, five were carrying war-like stores, 72 were carrying narcotics and 161 had no payload.
Security forces also recovered two AK-47 rifles, 75 pistols and 281.41 kg of contraband near the International Border. The Army assessed that these consignments were likely delivered through drone-assisted means, pointing to an increasing use of unmanned systems for reconnaissance as well as the smuggling of weapons, ammunition and narcotics.
The drone threat, particularly in Punjab, illustrates the increasingly complex nature of India’s western-border security environment. Low-cost unmanned systems can provide adversaries with a relatively difficult-to-detect means of surveillance and clandestine delivery, requiring a combination of electronic warfare, kinetic counter-drone measures, intelligence and border surveillance.
The Army’s annual assessment therefore presents a mixed security picture. Along the LAC, reduced PLA deployment and resumed military dialogue have contributed to greater stability, while India’s own forces continue to maintain a robust posture. At the same time, developments along the LoC and International Border demonstrate that the western security environment remains dynamic and capable of changing rapidly.
The report also underscores the Indian Army’s continuing transformation in response to lessons from recent conflicts and emerging technologies. Force restructuring, enhanced jointness, intelligence dominance, technological absorption and counter-drone capabilities are becoming increasingly important elements of India’s preparedness for future contingencies.
The reduction in Chinese troop deployment is consequently significant, but it does not represent a complete change in the strategic equation along the LAC. India’s continued forward preparedness, infrastructure development and emphasis on technology indicate that New Delhi remains focused on maintaining credible deterrence while supporting mechanisms for dialogue and stability.
Overall, the Annual Report 2025-26 reflects an Indian Army balancing de-escalation and dialogue with sustained operational readiness. While the Northern Border environment has shown signs of stabilisation, the Army’s assessment makes clear that preparedness remains central to India’s approach amid continuing challenges on both its northern and western fronts.
