US team visit to Kashmir base puts spotlight on cold weather operations
The visit of a US Army delegation to Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) at Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir, this week, has put spotlight on the growing emphasis that both countries are laying on operations in arctic conditions amidst a changing geo-strategic environment.
While high altitude operations have formed a major functional area for the Indian Army since Independence due to deployments along the Himalayan frontier against Pakistan as well as China, this domain received an impetus after the stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020.
Over the past few years, the Indian Military has been laying greater focus than even on prolonged deployment and sustenance of a large number of troops at ‘super high altitude’, as it is now permanently manning positions at heights and in areas that were generally not done before the stand-off. This includes training, studies on human physiology research and development on equipment, constructing infrastructure and establishing logistics and support echelons.
Recent western media reports have stated that in the aftermath of more than two decades of operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the US is now shifting its attention to fight in the Arctic. The move stems from growing concerns about efforts of Russia and China, which have strengthened bilateral ties, to increase their access to the Arctic region for trade, resources and power projection.
Earlier this year, a US Army website reported that after 50 years, the US Army has established a new strategy for cold-weather combat. “As the Arctic warms from climate change, it’s going to become more and more accessible in the coming decades and take on new importance. We have to be ready to accomplish the mission in such an environment,” the website stated.
India’s Army Training Command headquartered at Shimla stated that nuances of training, tactical operations and future collaborations were discussed by the visiting US delegation with the Indian Army at HAWS. This included field activities.
Established in December 1948, HAWS specialises in snowcraft and winter warfare. It runs two courses -- the Mountain Warfare Course and the Winter Warfare Course to train defence personnel for operations in high altitude and snow bound terrain, counter intelligence and survival skills.
Troops posted to the Siachen Glacier and to other high altitude forward posts go through the courses. Personnel from several friendly foreign countries including the US, United Kingdom and Germany also undergo specialist training at HAWS. In addition, it also conducts training for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.
Likewise, the US Army too has its Army Mountain Warfare School (AMWS) that is located at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in the mountains of Jericho in the northeastern state of Vermont. It runs several basic and advanced courses to provide tactical and technical training for mountain warfare and cold weather operations.
The 11th Airborne Division based in the frigid domains of Alaska where the closest distance between America and Russia is just four kilometers, is among the US Army elements that specialise in Arctic operations. This division was functional in other roles from 1943 to 1958, and was reactivated in 2022 for cold weather operations.
