India faces one of the most challenging security environments in the world, confronting not one but two adversarial neighbors: Pakistan and China. While New Delhi retains the conventional military upper hand over Islamabad, in Beijing it confronts a militarily and economically superior power that has repeatedly used force to alter the status quo along their disputed border.
Since the 1962 border war, India and China have faced a series of military confrontations, including the 2017 Doklam standoff and the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. More recently, Beijing reportedly provided Islamabad with critical intelligence support during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, raising the likelihood that any future Indo-Pak crisis will unfold against the backdrop of Chinese support for Islamabad.
Given this geopolitical reality, India must prepare to deter and, if needed, confront future Chinese aggression. Although formidable, India’s military remains conventionally weaker than China’s. At $92 billion, New Delhi’s defense spending is just over a quarter of Beijing’s. Despite India’s efforts to procure advanced Western fighter jets and develop its own indigenous capabilities, China still enjoys a 3:1 advantage in airpower, and its naval modernization far outpaces India’s own efforts.
