[hinckley buzzard]

"Defending China's western borders" is not what this is about. This is about Chinese aggression. Unfortunately, mounting an offensive in high mountain passes is a daunting task, unlike taking on the Tibetan plateau against a weak opponent. And all the hardware in the world will not amount to much when mountainsides can be made to tumble down on you. This is why Nazi Germany left Switzerland alone during WW II. No sense trying to defeat the Alps. Ditto the Himalayas

[Cvengr]

Remember the Google Earth image in China of the giant sand table of passes into India ...about 5-10 yrs ago. Sand Table was about 40 acres large and they walked their officers through the entire routes.