High Altitude Warfare School

The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is a defence service training and research establishment of the Indian Army. In 1948, the Indian Army established a ski school in Gulmarg that later became the High Altitude Warfare School, which specialises in snow–craft and winter warfare.[2] It is located in an area which is prone to avalanches. Selected soldiers from the US, UK, Germany and other countries visit regularly for specialist training.[3][4][5]

"HAWS" redirects here. For the surname, see Haws.

High Altitude Warfare School
TypeDefence Service Training Institute
Established11 December 1948[1]
Location
Gulmarg
,
Jammu & Kashmir
,
 India

History

The birth of High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) of Indian Army in 1948 can be directly attributed to the loss of Gilgit-Baltistan in the Siege of Skardu to Pakistan in 1947–1948 Indo-Pakistani War. The school was established in December 1948 by General K S Thimayya, then holding the rank of Brigadier. It was initially known as the 19 Infantry Division Ski School. During the winter of 1949–1950, the school was redesignated as a Command Establishment and renamed as the Winter Warfare School. On 8 April 1962, it was upgraded to a Category A Training Establishment and adopted its current name.[1]

Training

HAWS offers two training programmes, the Mountain Warfare course and the Winter Warfare course. The former course is conducted in Sonamarg between May and October each year. The latter course is conducted in Gulmarg between January and April. The two courses train personnel in High Altitude warfare, counter intelligence and survival skills. Ice-craft is taught at Machoi across Zojila. Army personnel deployed to the Siachen Glacier and to other high altitude forward posts on the Himalayan borders go through the courses.[6]

HAWS is the nodal instructional facility for specialised training and dissemination of approved doctrines in mountain, high altitude and snow warfare. The training programs at HAWS are open to personnel of the armed forces of friendly countries.[7][8]

U.S. Army Capt. Mathew Hickey (left), with the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), leading the way up a steep slope while on his way to winning an endurance test during training at the Indian Army's High Altitude Warfare School, 2013

HAWS also trains Indian Armed Forces personnel for winter sports such as snowboarding, alpine skiing and Nordic skiing. The school recently added facilities to allow the Indian Army ski team to train at night.[9][10]

Media

The Discovery Channel created a documentary series detailing the military training program at HAWS. This documentary was part of a larger series on the Indian Armed Forces, titled Veer by Discovery.[11][12]

See also

Alumni

References
  1. "Recruitment and Training". Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Archived from the original on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  2. "High Altitude Warfare School Where Indian jawans are trained to survive in Siachen".
  3. Pandit, Rajat (1 May 2004). "High-altitude warfare school takes global aim". Times of India. New Delhi. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  4. "Arctic Army officer excels on India's high ground". www.army.mil. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  5. "Kashmir avalanche kills Indian troops at high-altitude training camp". The Guardian. Associated Press. 8 February 2010. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  6. "India's snow warriors". UPI Asia. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  7. "High-altitude warfare school takes global aim". The Times of India. 1 May 2004. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  8. ADGPI-INDIAN ARMY, THE MOUNTAIN WARRIORS, archived from the original on 15 December 2021, retrieved 5 January 2019
  9. "A first: Night ski training facility at Gulmarg resort". The Tribune. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  10. Hooda, Deepshikha (11 July 2018). "High Altitude Warfare School: Where Indian jawans are trained to survive in Siachen". The Economic Times. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  11. "High Altitude Warfare School Full Episodes | Veer by Discovery". YouTube. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  12. "Veer by Discovery". YouTube. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2019.

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