Counter-insurgency and Jungle Warfare School - International Participation

International Participation

Taking in to account the successes in combating militancy to a great extent, New Delhi in 2001 threw the school at Vairengte open for soldiers from other countries with three US army officers being the first overseas batch to be trained. After the 9/11 terror strikes in the US the jungle warfare school at Vairengte began attracting military cadets from across the world.In 2003, a group of about 100 elite US commandos completed a three-week anti-insurgency combat training at the institute. The exercise, codenamed Balance Iroquois, saw personnel of the US Special Forces undergo an intensive exercise along with soldiers from the Indian Special Forces battalion at Vairengte. Troops were trained to feed on venomous vipers, dogs and monkeys as part of military exercises to sharpen their skills in jungle survival and combat. Indian Army soldiers and U.S. Army and National Guard soldiers trained together in Operation YUDH ABHYAS 04-1 the two forces focused on reflexive firing, ambush, jungle patrolling, survival in the jungle and a fast roping technique called slithering. France, UK, Israel and Italy are the latest have sought India's help to train their soldiers in counter-insurgency operations at this elite facility.