Following the war in Kargil, it was imperative to ensure that the nation was never unprepared or caught unawares if such a situation was to recur. It was with that in mind that the Kargil Battle School — situated in the Drass sector — was established in the year 2000. Set up soon after the end of the Kargil War in 1999, here the soldiers are trained to fight in a war-like situation, especially on the dangerous Himalayan terrain. Apart from being trained to scale any mountain within minutes to tackle the enemy, the soldiers are also trained in assisting other soldiers in case of casualties.
Keeping in mind that at the time of the Kargil War, soldiers had to scale and fight enemies even at the height of 14,000 feet, the school was established with an aim to prepare the soldiers in such a way that they can climb the mountains even when there is lack of oxygen. The school's commanding officer, Vimal Sharma, said, "The school trains the soldiers how to climb high altitude ranges within minutes. They are trained in one hang climbing, double jump climbing, rappelling, and single row rappelling. It is difficult to climb up, but the students usually take barely five minutes to climb down." Skiing and ice climbing are also taught here.
School authorities claim that the kind of rigorous training imparted at the pre-induction school is comparable to those who train in the US and other developed nations.
Zee Media Newsroom