List of Special Forces of India

Regarded as the Asian powerhouse, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. India is surrounded by some difficult neighbours who pose a threat to its sovereignty and independence. In order to safeguard ourselves from terrorists and insurgent attacks, the defence forces in India has always been prepared with their elite special forces. The Special forces not only are capable to protect but also are competent enough to destroy enemy’s willpower.

Below is a list of special forces of India that are amongst the best in the world:

Para (Special Forces):

The force that conducted a surgical strike in Pakistan, needs no introduction. It was raised in the year 1966 and is a part of the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army. There a total of 9 Battalions of the Indian Army.

They are one the most physically fit and mentally robust soldiers who have a never say die attitude. They undergo the most grueling training in the world involving weekly run of 80 km to 130 km with a 65 kg backpack, close quarter unarmed combat training. They also undergo 50 freefall jumps from a height of 33500 feet.

Motto: "Men Apart, Every man an Emperor"

They have also conducted many successful operations including the 1971 Indo-Pak war, Operation Blue Star, Operation Cactus and also the counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar. No doubt they are truly called Red Devils.

MARCOS:

MARCOS or Marine Commandos is the special forces unit of the Indian Navy, established in 1987. It is regarded as the most lethal special forces of India.

They capable of special operations in many areas but specialize in direct action, amphibious warfare and counter-terrorism. They are also called “Dadiwala Fauji” due to their bearded disguise in civil areas.

Motto: "The few the fearless"

They have conducted successful operations notably Operation Leech, Operation Black Tornado, Operation Cyclone.

Training to be a MARCOS isn’t easy as more than 80% of the applicants drop out within the first 03 days. Further a process of screening that involves a “Hell’s week” which is 5 weeks long. It involves a high degree of physical exertion and sleep deprivation. The most rigorous of all is “Death Crawl” that involves 800m thigh-high mud crawl, loaded with 25 Kgs of gear(backpack).

Garud Commando Force:

The youngest special force of the services, Garud Commando Force is the special force of Indian Air Force. It was established in 2004 and was earlier known as “Tiger Force”.

They are trained in Airfield attacks, combat search and rescue missions. The recruitment of Garud is directly done through airmen selection centres via advertisements, where the recruitment of commissioned posts is done from General Duty cadets being trained at Air Force Academy.

Motto: "Defence by Offence"

The trainees undergo a rigorous training of around 3 years which is the longest among all Indian special forces.

National Security Guard:

Popularly known as “Black Cats”, NSG is an Indian special force under Ministry of Home Affairs. It was established in 1984 and is a mix of commandos from both Paramilitary and Indian Army.

It consists of two components - Special Action Group (SAG) and Special Ranger Group (SRG). The SAG absorbs the commandos from the Indian Army while the SRG absorbs from Paramilitary Services.

Motto: "Sarvatra Sarvōttama Surakṣā"

They are trained to combat terrorists in urban areas, counter hijacking operations, and Hostage rescue mission. The NSGs are trained to take only headshots and in order to remain in the force they need to have a striking rate of 85%.

Some notable operations include Operation Black Thunder, Operation Tornado, Operation Ashwamedh.

Special Frontier Force:

The Special Frontier Force is a paramilitary special force of India that was created in 1962 to conduct covert operations against China. It is also known as Maverick Regiment or Vikas Force.

Due to its first Inspector General, Major Sujan Singh (Retd) who used to be commander of 22 Mountain Regiment during World War II, the force was also known as “Establishment 22”.

They are highly trained in jungle and mountain warfare and guerilla tactics. They are also trained in various forms of martial arts.

They were involved in many operations such as Operation Rakshak, Operation Pawan, Operation Cactus.