Indian army to train foreigners in mountain combat

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is planning to upgrade its High-Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), located in the scenic surroundings of Gulmarg area of Held Kashmir, to attract foreign armies for training.

The army has already allowed other armies to train at its Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in the northeastern state of Mizoram. Over the past two years, the armies from the US, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Vietnam have learned to counter guerrilla tactics in thick forests.

“The recent Army Commanders Conference decided to make the HAWS in Jammu and Kashmir a centre of excellence. We will offer its courses to the armies of friendly countries,” a senior officer of the Army Headquarters said.

The school at Gulmarg was set up in 1948, soon after India landed its forces in Jammu and Kashmir as part of the 19 Infantry Division Ski School. Over the years, it has become the army’s agency for specialised training and dissemination of doctrines in high-altitude, mountain and snow warfare.

“Its facilities, including mountain warfare courses in Sonamarg area and snow-craft and winter warfare in Gulmarg area, are among the best in the world. We can teach most armies a thing or two about this kind of warfare,” an officer said.

He said the HAWS played an important role during the 1999 Kargil conflict by conducting crash courses for troops prior to their induction in the actual operations on the icy heights. “It also trains troops for operations in the Siachen Glacier, the highest and coldest battlefield in the world,” he said.

The US Special Forces find India’s Jungle Warfare School at Mizoram an ideal location to train its elite commandos in rigorous anti-insurgency combat operations. US commandos have been coming here for the past two years to learn counter-insurgency, marksmanship, heliborne and airborne training, modus operandi of militants, movement and communication in jungles, patrolling, ambush, jungle survival, raids, intelligence operations and hostage rescue. Established in 1970, the Jungle Warfare School is considered one of world’s most prestigious anti-militant institutions.

The school currently runs four counter-insurgency and jungle warfare courses, each lasting six weeks, open only to officers less than 28 years old.

In 2001, New Delhi opened up the Vairengte School to soldiers from abroad. India’s northeast is home to 30-odd militant armies with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy and the right to self-determination. The Vairengte School was set up after Indian soldiers suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the militants, who were adept in hit-and-run guerrilla strikes.

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"Change before you have to" : Jack Welch

Biomed...nice post.

No doubt that Indian Army is one of the best army in the world, but still have to go long way.

Indian govt. should learn with the Iraq war and should provide some basic life saving equipments to Indian Army.

Cheers
Raj

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A person is never more on trial than in a moment of excessive good fortune.