India has several Special Forces (SF) units, with the branches of the Indian Armed Forces having their own separate special forces units. The Para SF of the Indian Army, MARCOS of the Indian Navy and Garud Commando Force of the Indian Air Force . There are other special forces which are not controlled by the military, but operate under civilian organisations, such as the National Security Guard under Home Ministry and Special Group under RAW.[1] Small groups from the military SF units are deputed in the Armed Forces Special Operations Division, a unified command and control structure.[2]
The Research and Analysis Wing, the external Intelligence agency of India, has separate special forces under its control, namely the Special Group and the Special Frontier Force.
Main article: Para (Special Forces) |
The Paratrooper (Special Forces), or Para (SF), are the special forces of the Indian Army.[3][4] This unit was created in June 1966 in the aftermath of the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war. An impromptu commando unit called Meghdoot Force, which took part in the 1965 war, formed the first nucleus of the permanent Para commando battalion which was to be raised under the Parachute Regiment. By 1969, the unit had grown into 2 battalions, viz. the 9 Para and the 10 Para. The unit's first combat missions were conducted during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war in which they undertook raids against Pakistan's military.
In 1988, 6 Para spearheaded the only foreign intervention operation conducted by Indian Armed Forces to restore democracy in Maldives. The operation was code-named Operation Cactus. Operation Cactus was launched to thwart a coup against the government of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.[5] In the late 1980s, the Para (SF) were deployed in Sri Lanka where they conducted helicopter-borne assaults and security operations.
Since the 1990s, the Para (SF) have been deployed on counter-terrorism operations in the Kashmir region against insurgents. These operations include raids and ambushes. In 1999, Para (SF) undertook operations against Pakistan's military during the Kargil war which included raids against Pakistani infantry and special forces. In 2002, the 2 Para (SF) participated in Operation Khukri in Sierra Leone to rescue 223 soldiers of the Indian Army's 5/8 Gorkha Rifles who were deployed as UN peacekeepers but were surrounded by militants from the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone.[6] Some of the later reported missions carried out by Para (SF) include the counter-insurgency operation purportedly undertaken inside Myanmar in 2015, and the 2016 Surgical Strikes.[7][8][9]
The list of PARA (SF) Battalions is as follows:[10]
Main article: Garud Commando Force |
The Garud commandos are the special forces of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Their tasks include counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, providing security to IAF's assets, and various air force-specific special operations. First conceived in 2002, this unit was officially established on February 6, 2004.[19]
All Garuds are volunteers who have imparted a 52-week basic training, which includes a three-month probation followed by special operations training, basic airborne training, and other warfare and survival skills. The last phase of basic training sees Garuds being deployed to get combat experience. Advanced training follows, which includes specialised weapons training.[19][20]
The mandated tasks of the Garuds include direct action, special reconnaissance, rescuing downed pilots in hostile territory, establishing airbases in hostile territory, and providing air-traffic control to these airbases.[21] The Garuds also undertake suppression of enemy air defences and the destruction of other enemy assets such as radars, evaluation of the outcomes of Indian airstrikes and use laser designators to guide Indian airstrikes.[22]
The security of IAF installations and assets is usually performed by the Air Force Police and the Defence Security Corps even though some critical assets are protected by the Garuds.[19]
Main article: Special Frontier Force |
The Special Frontier Force was raised in 1962 to defend India's eastern border and to perform covert cross border operations.
Main article: Special Group |
The Special Group is a special forces unit of the Research and Analysis Wing. It was formed in 1981.[23] The responsibilities of the Special Group includes clandestine intelligence operations and covert operations, with which the Government of India may not wish to be overtly associated.[24][23]
The National Security Guard (NSG) is a specialized counter-terrorism Federal Contingency Force. It was formally created in 1986. It is based on the British Army's Special Air Service and the German GSG 9.[25] The NSG is popularly referred to as the 'Black Cats' due to its distinct black uniforms.[26] It consists of the following two elements[25]-