By M S Nazki
General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), visit to Bhutan was to further deepen the long-standing defence cooperation and strategic partnership between the two nations!
-The visit had many highlights which we would be telling about in the story that follows!
– Indian Army said that the visit underscores the enduring friendship between India and Bhutan, reaffirming India’s steadfast support for a close and trusted neighbour.
-Nestled between China’s Tibet Autonomous Region and India’s northeastern states, Bhutan plays an outsized role in South Asia’s strategic calculus. Its 605-km border with India and the vulnerable 477-km frontier with China place it right in the eye of Beijing’s expansionist storm. Nowhere is this more critical than near the Doklam tri-junction, where the 2017 standoff exposed China’s playbook: stealthy infrastructure build-ups, dual-use settlements, and grey-zone tactics designed to change facts on the ground without firing a shot.
-Bhutan is renowned for its stunning natural beauty, diverse landscapes, and rich cultural heritage, often described as a “Land of Happiness”. Its dramatic mountain scenery, including snow-capped peaks and deep valleys, is complemented by lush forests, vibrant flora, and unique wildlife. The country’s commitment to preserving its environment and cultural traditions further enhances its appeal, making it a truly unique and captivating destination!
-In a post, the Indian Army stated that General Dwivedi was welcomed by Major General Dorji Rinchen, Deputy Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Royal Bhutan Army on the first day of his visit.
-But from the defense point of view the visit focused on reinforcing joint military readiness and deterring Beijing’s salami-slicing tactics near the critical Siliguri Corridor and Doklam tri-junction.
– Meanwhile, Bhutan’s alignment with India solidifies the Himalayan security architecture. Bhutan’s refusal to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its appeals for Indian support reinforce Thimphu’s alignment with New Delhi.
-The Siliguri Corridor, India’s vulnerable “chicken’s neck”, remains the Achilles’ heel of Indian defence. Any Chinese gains in Doklam could potentially sever India’s northeast from the mainland.
-Since 2016, Beijing has reportedly completed at least 22 settlements inside or near Bhutan, with eight perilously close to Doklam. Roads, communications towers, and bunkers point to dual-use capabilities.
-Bhutan’s refusal to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its repeated requests for Indian reinforcement highlight Thimphu’s alignment with New Delhi in resisting Beijing’s advances.
-A 2020 New York Times report revealed satellite imagery, exposing China’s growing footprint inside Bhutanese territory. From the notorious Pangda village, which was built nearly 2 km within Bhutan’s borders in 2020, to new roads, military outposts, and bunkers, Beijing’s so-called “civilian villages” are anything but benign. As per experts like Maj Gen Sanjay Soi (Retd), these outposts allow the PLA to monitor India’s thin, 24-km-wide Siliguri Corridor.
-Visit to Bhutan, aimed squarely at reinforcing the fragile Himalayan security architecture against China’s creeping territorial advances. The four-day visit from 30 June to 3 July 2025 saw renewed military cooperation and joint readiness discussions.
-India sees this as a textbook case of salami-slicing: an inch today, a mile tomorrow. By avoiding outright conflict and instead shifting borders subtly, China is working to undermine India’s strategic depth without provoking full-scale war.
-Adding to the Himalayan tensions, India firmly rebuffed China’s claims over selecting the next Dalai Lama. Parliamentary Affairs and Minorities Minister Kiren Rijiju minced no words, declaring that the Tibetan spiritual leader’s succession is a religious matter, not a geopolitical one. “The right to decide on his successor rests solely with him, in accordance with centuries-old Buddhist customs,” Rijiju asserted.
-China has long sought to install a compliant figurehead within Tibet, but the 90-year-old Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959, has made clear his successor will be chosen by the Gaden Phodrang Trust and likely emerge from outside Chinese-controlled Tibet, which is another point of contention between Beijing and New Delhi.
There were several highlights as well as sidelights of the visit!
– On 01 July 2025, the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, called on His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan. General Dwivedi’s meetings with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and Royal Bhutan and it centred on one issue: coordinated deterrence. Their discussions addressed joint border surveillance, response mechanisms to PLA movements, and military capacity-building.
– He also held substantive discussions with Lieutenant General Batoo Tshering, Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army, reaffirming the shared commitment to regional security and longstanding bilateral cooperation. Additionally, General Dwivedi interacted with senior officials of the Indian Embassy.
-On 02 July, General Dwivedi visited the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), and Project DANTAK. He also visited the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military Hospital and later engaged with instructors and students at the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military School, acknowledging the importance of capacity-building and military education in the bilateral relationship.
-During the visit, the COAS also visited Jamtsholing Gyaltsen Academy at Tashichhoeling in Samtse, where he was apprised of Bhutan’s Gyalsung National Service programme.
-He interacted with the instructors and received a detailed briefing on the academy’s training framework, infrastructure, and other key functional aspects.
-In a symbolic gesture, General Dwivedi visited the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT)—India’s oldest overseas mission. IMTRAT plays a crucial role in mentoring Bhutanese troops and fostering operational synergy.
– According to the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), the COAS interacted with the Indian Army and Royal Bhutan Army soldiers at IMTRAT and lauded them for their focused joint training initiatives and leadership development.
-As India’s oldest overseas mission, IMTRAT reflects the strength and depth of Indo-Bhutan Defence Cooperation.
-He praised Indian and Bhutanese soldiers for their “focused joint training and leadership development,” acknowledging IMTRAT’s pivotal role in cementing defence cooperation. Visits to key installations such as Project DANTAK, Gyalsung Academy, and the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military Hospital further underscored India’s all-encompassing approach from hard security to humanitarian support.
-He also visited the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military Hospital and later engaged with instructors and students at the Wangchuk Lo Dzong Military School, acknowledging the importance of capacity-building and military education in the bilateral relationship, siad an official statement from the Indian Army.
Reaffirming the deep-rooted friendship between India and Bhutan, the COAS stated that the Indian Army remains firmly committed to supporting these transformative initiatives.
The King of Bhutan announced the launch of Gyalsung — Bhutan’s National Service — during the Royal Address to the nation on the 112th National Day of Bhutan in December 2019.
He has envisioned the institution of Gyalsung as a means to empower all Bhutanese youth to participate in the process of nation-building to further enhance the security, peace, unity, harmony and sovereignty of the nation.
The COAS was received in a ceremonial Chipdrel procession at the Tashichhodzong, and presented with a Guard of Honour.
The COAS also laid a wreath to pay homage at the National Memorial Chorten in honour of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan and reviewed an impressive Guard of Honour at Tashichho Dzong, a prominent Buddhist monastery in the capital.
-This was all official but the ever smiling General had a package up his sleeves for the children as he had decided to have a chocolate party! The Bhutanese children love chocolates as any other child and the General was carrying enough for them as during the visit the childhood memoirs of his own and children and their friends must have come haunting back! Who told you that the Indian Generals are stone hearted! When Nation comes first they would be ready for any eventuality but when children come in front of them then they are sweeter than honey!
This was for today but tomorrow we know (if it comes) the readers would be reading another story from our desk!
