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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Indian, US soldiers jointly learn jungle warfare |
| 2004-04-07 |
| Raiding terrorist hideouts, fending for themselves in deep forests and honing firing skills against unconventional targets, some 120 Indian and America soldiers are carrying out the largest ever joint military exercise in the thick jungles of Mizoram. This is the first joint infantry exercise between the two countries. It began on March 28 and will end on April 16. It is being held at the sprawling campus of the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, a unique military training centre for training soldiers to fight terrorists in natural surroundings. Reputed to be the world’s only one in its league, the school has been quietly shaping critical leadership and soldiers of several nations, including Nepal and Sri Lanka, for unconventional warfare. During the three-week long exercise, the soldiers will train in operating in jungle terrain, in rural and urban centres, hostage rescue, anti-hijacking operations, interrogation, intelligence based tactical operations, combat training, and IED (improvised explosive device) handling, says Brigadier B K Ponwar, commandant of the CIJW School. One company of soldiers from the 9 Rajput Battalion is participating in the exercise while the US side is represented by one platoon of soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the First Infantry Regiment of the Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade. Lt Colonel David Wisecarver, the commanding officer of the US infantry unit, says the exercise is a unique opportunity for the Americans because the ’US doesn’t have a jungle warfare school’ and his unit would impart the lessons learnt in Mizoram to other soldiers in the US. EFL (I know, for a change) |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #4 OP - Hey, I "graduated" from Tigerland! Lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-07 2:25:40 PM |
| #3 Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade Yep that's the army all right. Had one uncle from deep, deep in the swamps of Taylor County FL, enlisted in the army and was immediately put on snow skys.. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-07 2:20:23 PM |
| #2 Are there any jungles in Syria or Iran or N. Korea? I don't think so, but there are plenty of them in Indonesia and the Philippines. Looks like someone's thinking REALLY long-term... While the United States doesn't have a "jungle" per se, I'm sure some of the folks that have been stationed in Fort Polk might disagree with that. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-04-07 2:11:46 PM |
| #1 Are there any jungles in Syria or Iran or N. Korea? |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-04-07 12:59:01 PM |