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Army upgrades commando training

The army has upgraded its commando training to fight more effectively behind the enemy lines and in terrorist-infested areas to attack militant hideouts and capture their high-tech communication equipment.

The commandos, called Ghataks, are being trained at the commando wing of the Junior Leaders Wing to handle high-tech communication sets, night vision equipment, rocket-launchers, laser target designators and the use of the global positioning system.

"With changing security perceptions, training also needs to be modified, so that our boys adapt to the new system of warfare, says JLW commander Maj Gen R Karthikeyan, adding that with the increase in militant activities they had to play a different role.

The training has now been reduced to 38 days from the 42 earlier, and the commando wing is training around 1,200 Ghataks annually. Touted as the toughest such course in the world, the training include all operations of war -- defence, attack, advance, infiltration as well as defence against nuclear, chemical and biological warfare.

Col Rakesh Painuly, commander of the commando wing, is himself a battle-hardened officer specialising in tackling militant activities. He said that a new module -- the low intensity conflict capsule -- has been added to the 38 days of rigorous training. This could ensure officers and men undertaking the Ghatak course were well-informed and equipped to tackle militants, who are now well armed, with AK-series assault weapons and high-tech radio.

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