Inside CIJWS Vairengte: India’s Elite Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School
Nestled in the misty hills of Vairengte, Mizoram is the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS). It stands proudly as one of the world’s most formidable military training institutions. CIJWS is known for its uncompromising motto: “Fight the Guerrilla Like a Guerrilla”. The School has, since 1970, shaped soldiers into masters of asymmetric warfare, counter-insurgency operations, and jungle survival tactics.
In Episode 1 of our documentary series, we journey into the heart of CIJWS to explore its legacy, its philosophy, and the brutal realism of its training. Part I is an extensive conversation with Major General Vinod Kumar Nambiar, the CIJWS Commandant. “This is the only training establishment in the Indian Army that has fought a war,” he tells BSI’s Amitabh P. Revi. That was the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. CIJWS instructors were deployed directly into combat, a rare distinction that sets this school apart globally.
BSI Team At CIJWS
A BharatShakti/StratNews Global team of Amitabh P. Revi, Rohit Pandita and Ankit Mattoo filmed extensive footage and interactions at CIJWS to bring you this series. Purnima Singh and Deepankar Verma provide the graphics that add punch to these documentaries.
Series In 4K
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Training That Breaks and Builds Warriors
“Our exercises simulate insurgent ambushes, IED threats, and red vs blue force-on-force missions — all under live conditions, often for 96 hours straight,” says Maj Gen Nambiar. The philosophy here is not just about firepower. “We train soldiers to fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla, not just with firepower, but with patience, terrain mastery, and psychological edge, the Commandant explains”. He’s also crystal clear when he points out, “The jungle teaches you humility. It doesn’t care about rank or technology — it rewards awareness, adaptability, and instinct.”
A Global Hub for Military Cooperation
CIJWS trains not only Indian Army units but also foreign contingents, making it a hub of international military cooperation. For every soldier who passes through its gates, the lessons learned here shape missions across the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir and naxal affected areas, UN deployments, and future battlefields yet unseen.
So, DON’T MISS this fascinating documentary series: CIJWS — where grit meets jungle, and warriors are forged in silence, sweat, and strategy.
The 'Eye' of the story not the 'I' of the story. That's Amitabh Pashupati Revi's credo from the beginning of his professional journey in 1995. From conflicts in the war zones of Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq to nuances of international politics in the Maldives,Thailand, and South Sudan, Amitabh has reported from all the world's continents, except for Antarctica(so far). Though, he has documented the world's third pole, the Siachen Glacier!
Amitabh reports and produces documentaries on the two-front China-Pakistan threat to India. His ground reports from Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh have received viewership in the hundreds of thousands. Amitabh has interviewed world leaders, top global analysts, and experts in India, Russia, the United States, and Australia as well. Along the way, he’s picked up the Russian language, the Ramnath Goenka Award for his reporting on the 'Islamic State' terrorist group in Iraq, the Khaled Alkhateb Award for his reporting from Palmyra, Syria, and the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Distinguished Journalist Fellowship. Last but not least, as a founder member of StratNews Global, Amitabh helps lead the reporting, editorial, production, and administration teams at StratNews Global, BharatShakti, and InterStellar on their journey ahead.
