GAWAHATI, 15 September 2005 — Forty American soldiers yesterday moved into the dense jungles of India’s remote northeast to learn from Indian soldiers experienced in countering guerrilla warfare, officials said.
US Embassy spokesman David Kennedy said the training would focus on the unique terrain of northeastern India, and an Indian army officer said the two-week exercise is aimed at teaching the soldiers how to survive in the inhospitable jungles of the region.
The joint exercise is being organized by the Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School in the eastern state of Mizoram, which also has trained soldiers from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Myanmar and other countries.
More than a dozen rebel groups have been fighting for independence for decades in India’s northeast, giving Indian soldiers invaluable experiencing in combating insurgencies.
The US soldiers are at the school for joint exercises for a third consecutive year, the army officer said. They are from the 25th Infantry Division and the Guam National Guards based at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
India and the United States also hold annual navy and air force exercises.
Military cooperation between the two countries was suspended after India tested nuclear weapons in May 1998.
But Washington lifted sanctions and renewed military-to-military contacts when India joined its coalition against terrorism following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
Meanwhile, India’s naval chief yesterday said India is considering a rival bid from Russia to sell naval surveillance and anti-submarine airplanes, even as it examines a US offer of eight P3-C Orionsy.
Adm. Arun Prakash did not disclose which Russian model aircraft is being considered, but India’s current maritime surveillance fleet comprises three Ilyushin-38s and eight Tupolev-142s, both Russian-made.
Prakash said the navy hasn’t set a timeframe to decide on buying the naval planes, but that the negotiations are advancing.
“It is going take some time before we decide, “ Prakash told reporters in Bangalore on the fringes of an aviation seminar. “We will buy the one that offers the right price and meets our needs.”
The US proposal was disclosed in February by defense contractor Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the Orion. It also won the necessary export license for the deal from the US government.
India has increasingly moved to the West to buy the military equipment it needs, after decades of dependence on the erstwhile Soviet Union. However, the latest statement underscores that India doesn’t want to give up the Russian option.
The C-130J military transport aircraft, F-16 fighters and F/A-18 Hornet multipurpose aircraft are among US-made warplanes being considered by India. The US has also offered to sell its Patriot Advance Capability 3 missile system and E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning system to India.
The P3-C is a variant of the P3-Orion, the United States’ primary aircraft for anti-submarine warfare. It is also used by the air forces of Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
