IMA prepares gentlemen cadets to handle terror attacks

The Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun is now training its gentlemen cadets (GCs) in counter-terror and counter-insurgency operations as part of its curriculum.

Training for the handling of terror-attacks and foiling the plans of militants on the basis of intelligence reports, has been a vital part of learning at the academy.

"It is a basic pattern which has always been used to train the GCs. When dealing with terrorists, you are not face-to-face with them like in a battle. It is a difficult task to hunt down, zero in on them and prove the charges. It is undeclared, nobody claims responsibility and everybody denies that they are supporting terrorism. These are the basics of counter-terrorism," said Lieutenant General K.K. Khanna, Commandant of the academy.

The training session entails one group acting as 'militants', and plan 'attacks' on targets like nearby villages which is taken as the military base. The group has to think like a 'militant' thereby ensure that they are not caught.

The other group, acts as the 'security force', has to network and gets information from villagers and other sources, in order to foil attacks and 'capture' the militants.

Along with physical training, GCs also receive theoretical lessons on strategy to deal with militants.

The GCs say this training prepares them for real-life encounters, in which face-to-face wars that do not take place that often, but terror attacks are frequent.

"These days we engage more in counter-terrorism activities. This exercise is very helpful to us especially taking into consideration the fact that we are going to be commissioned in the army after a few months and we will be going through the same drills thereafter," said Sachin Kumar, a gentleman cadet.

The military academy is also having joint exercises with military trainees from nations like France and Australia, with the aim of sharing training techniques.

"We visited today to get a feel of here. The style of operations that Australia is conducting at the moment, we do some elements of training in this style of exercise," said Captain John Daunt, a trainee from Australia.

The third term GCs have been taken to the Doon Valley in the Shivalik Forest region for a week-long training exercise named Chindits, beginning October 2, in combat, raids and search operations to counter terror attacks.

The IMA trains upto 1,950 officers every year, including some from friendly countries.(ANI)

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