Author: TWI
INTRODUCTION
1. Most of us have served in the Counter Insurgency environment of Jammu and Kashmir. Some as Coy Commanders, some as Staff Officers and some as part of other arms and services deployed in the qualifying area. On termination of the course, I suspect that many of us, some sooner than the others, will go back to the same environment, though possibly in a different capacity and some will even be commanding units in Counter Insurgency areas in a couple of years. I have done two tenures in the valley. The first was with 10 PARA (SF) and the second with 4 PARA (SF) just before I came here. The first was immensely successful in terms of operational successes. The second was in two parts – one before the Staff College exam and the other after I got back to the unit after the exam. The first part is a personal low in my life for operational successes were few and the second when I decided to shift operations to the area of responsibility of a different Formation was once again very fruitful. For various reasons. Today I wish to share with you some thoughts on the factors which influence success in CT ops and given the fact that most of us are going to find ourselves in the same environment once again, sooner than later, what should we keep in mind as Coy Cdrs, Battalion Commanders and Staff Officers.
