The story so far: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is all set to overhaul its training and operational strategy.
On October 22, ITBP Director-General Shatrujeet Kapur , while addressing the Himveer Samman Samaroah at the Central Training College (CTC) at Alwar in Rajasthan said that the newly raised Shaurya Commandos had done an exemplary work during the recent “face-off” with Chinese troops, which “continues at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh.”
“….But there’s no need to give up our original mandate completely. Esvery force has commandos: there’s the NSG {National Security Guard}, and BSF {Border Security Force}, CRPF {Central Reserve Police Force}, all of them have them — but the high-altitude expertise is ITBP’s alone. That is a very big strength of ours: we can go to any height and carry out whatever responsibility we are given in the best possible way, asnd the whole country trusts us for it. And to strengthen that trust further, we will work hard to make these [commando teams] in every battalion a success,” Mr.
The ITBP was formed on October 24, 1962 after the Indo-China war. The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), specialised in border guarding duties and posted at an altitude of up to 18,900 feet, was initially raised with only four battalions. Each battalion in the ITBP, one of the seven CAPFs, typically comprises over 1,300 personnel. They are deployed at 228 border outposts (BOPs) from the Karakoram Pass in the north-west to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east. For the Strike course, 330 master trainers have been trained and 10,000 ITBP personnel have undergone the training. He said that from December onwards the training will be held continuously in all units, and the whole Force’s Strike training will be completed before the end of 2027. On June 15, 2020, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley in Ladakh. Days before this, in May-June 2020, ITBP jawans arrested Chinese troops in their tracks at multiple locations along the undefined Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
The D-G, in his address to the officers and jawans of ITBP said that to deal with situations like “Galwan”, the Training Directorate has designed a “good course” called ‘Strike’ to improve the operational preparedness. The equipment needed for it will also be available at all the forward Border Outposts (BOPs), he said. Later as many as 291 jawans were accorded Director General commendation rolls and discs “for their gallant actions during the face offs and border skirmishes” as their “befitting response” helped safeguard many “hyper sensitive” locations from the Chinese troops. Kapur said.
Guerrilla warfare isn’t needed as much today, but as a high-altitude fighting force, a mountain fighting force, we must build a distinct identity of our own, separate from all the other CAPFs and even from the Army. ….this commando battalion will be an elite battalion of ours; it will give the Force an identity — and it will be for high altitude.
