To counter the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) aggressive patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Indian soldiers will be trained in Israel's Krav Maga unarmed combat style.

The first batch of 50 instructors are already being trained in Indo-Tibetan Border Police's (ITBP's) Panchkula training academy.

“In the first batch, we are training 50 instructors who will then go into the fields and train ITBP commandos in unarmed combat,” IG (training) I S Duhan said.

Krav Maga is considered an advanced version of mixed martial arts (MMA) and is useful for security forces in places where they cannot use weapons or open fire.

Due to the recent aggressive patrolling by the PLA along the LAC, frequent skirmishes have become common between the Indian Army, ITBP soldiers and Chinese PLA troops, and therefore, such training is considered crucial.

The army is also training its personnel deployed along the LAC with China in Krav Maga. Experts believe that Krav Maga is an effective method of self-defence that can significantly improve battlefield survival skills.

Earlier, the faceoff between Indian and Chinese troops was limited to waving flags, laying claim on the territory and going back. However, after the ongoing border standoff at LAC, and the brutal clash at Galwan Valley in June 2020, the Chinese soldiers have become more aggressive.

Just last year, in December 2022, Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Yangtse locality of Tawang district in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

“Israel’s Krav Maga is considered to be one of the best forms of martial arts combined with aikido, karate and judo and will help patrolling units give a befitting reply during skirmishes,” an officer said.