Even in their wildest dreams, no Chinese commander could have anticipated that the Indians would fold so easily. Right or wrong, the decision to designate Tawang vital ground was taken a year and a half ago, after which thousands of man hours had been used to build up the garrison, to say nothing of the air effort. How, on the whim of a DMO, the COAS could decide to abandon the place, is indicative of the complete collapse of the decision-making process! A tactical withdrawal is one thing, but to fall back the moment the firing starts can only lead to a debacle. It was unfortunate that those
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