At sub-unit level commanders must ensure rations, billeting, amenities, communication, leave, rest & refit; medical and evacuation of casualties. At times troops need counseling on a variety of issues. It must not be neglected. Commanders must reach out to troops regularly; they should be seen as ‘accessible’ by them.
Training Need: Analysis
Event analysis and training Key Result Areas (KRA) establish the need of training of commanders, junior leaders and troops on various aspects of LICO. The training could be organized, at training academies, recruit training centres (RTC), ad hoc training centres or ‘in situ’ at units deployed in anti-Maoists operations. Before imparting training, the existing standards need to be gauged by conducting dip-stick audit of training skill of troops engaged in anti-Maoist operations.
Ability to understand and execute specialized roles and tasks of anti-Maoist operations such as, area domination, area sanitization, road opening, cordon and search, ambush and raid.
Individual Training
Following areas of individual training would need special focus during evaluation:-
- Training history of individual, whether he/she has been trained for LICO.
- Physical fitness and ability of troops to operate with limited administrative support for 48-72 hours.
- Firing standards – by day and night; on fixed and impromptu targets.
- Proficiency in the use of company and platoon support weapons – deployment, firing by day and night.
- Field craft standards – by day and night.
- Proficiency in the use of weapons, maps and navigational aids, optical equipment, communication equipment, night vision devices, deep metal search detectors etc.
- Ability to understand and execute specialized roles and tasks of anti-Maoist operations such as, area domination, area sanitization, road opening, cordon and search, ambush and raid.
- Ability to organize defence of a post, harbor, patrol base.
- Ability to lead section, platoon and company in anti-Maoist operations.
- Ability to train the sub-unit.
Collective Training
Following aspects of collective training at unit and sub-unit level need evaluation:-
Anti-Maoist operations are manpower intensive operations; taking out manpower exclusively for training may be hard on operational efficiency of the units and sub-units. In situ training of officers, junior leaders and troops is something very innovative and cost-effective method.
- Deploy unit and sub-unit in a counter-insurgency grid.
- Conduct anti-Maoist operations – ambush, patrolling, and population and resource control measures.
- Conduct road opening and area domination.
- Conduct cordon and search and raid on hide outs.
Junior Leaders’ Training
Under-mentioned aspects of junior leadership would require quantification:-
- Ability to motivate and lead the sub-unit.
- To deploy sub-unit in counter-insurgency grid on a defensible piece of ground.
- Threat analysis and risk assessment.
- To generate operational intelligence.
- To plan and conduct result-oriented anti-Maoist operations.
- To carry out area domination and resource and population control.
- To train and administer the sub-unit.
Senior Officers’ Training
The officer cadre is required to be trained on following aspects:-
- Modern concepts of LICO.
- Leadership, management and communication.
- Planning operational intelligence.
- Physical security plan, area domination and population control measures.
- Planning and conducting result-oriented operations.
- Laying down standard operating procedures (SOP) for unit and sub-unit.
- Training of sub-units and individuals.
- Carrying out inspections and evaluations of operational worthiness of units and sub-units under command.