MARCOS (Photo by Indian Navy)
The recent operations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by the elite Marine Commandos (abbreviated MARCOS) of the Indian Navy, showcasing their Anti–Piracy and Hostage–Rescue Ops has again brought the Indian Special Forces in limelight again. Last time it was the elite PARA SF of the Indian Army which did the same through the 2016 Cross Border Raids across the LoC (Line of Control). When talking about SFs in the Indian context, one should always keep in mind the fact that only some units that carry out ‘Special Ops’ under the armed forces are considered SFs. The Army, Navy and Air Force have their respective SF units which are the PARA (SF), MCF & GCF. On one hand the Indian Special Forces have always showcased their operational preparedness and combat skills, whenever called to take on a task. But on the very other hand they are suffering from the upsizing of the force, undermining the thumb rule of SF which says “A bunch of well trained and equipped men operating behind the enemy lines are far more effective than a large force taking on the enemy from the front”. The elite PARA SF of the Indian Army being the core of the ISF in terms of providing manpower, are one such victims of the recent upscaling of the force dating to the July of 2022, when the conversion of the erstwhile PARA Airborne units began, making them the now PARA SF units. Airborne units like 5, 6, 7, 23 and 29 PARA were converted one by one to the now 5, 6, 7, 23 and 29 PARA SF, additionally a new unit was also raised in Bengaluru called the 13 PARA SF ‘The Thunderbolts’. Taking the overall strength of the PARA SF units from nine to the now fifteen.
GARUD SF (Photo by IAF)
GARUDS (Photo by Mayyank Kaul and artwork by Abhinav Negi)
While the now big number of the SF sounds like a good idea to many, this rang a bell in the heads of many concerned i.e. the PARA SF vets and SF geeks like myself. The PARA SF is already not so fond of being used as a CI/CT SOF (Special Operations Force) in the J&K region or the NE Indian States, the operatives in the force always prefer to operate across or on the LoC. The premature decisions by the local sector commanders to call in the nearest SF squad to finish off the Ops quickly is taking a heavy toll on the SF personnel on both the moral and physical grounds, apart from this the main and the most important concern regarding the upsizing of the elite PARA SF is that the bigger the force, the more weapons and equipment required to equip the force up–to the SF standard which is sadly being done on a very slow speed. Only the similarities between the PARA SF troops are the standard issue weapon and some gear which is the service– related equipment, which sadly also is not at par with the SF standards. The smaller the force, the more well equipped they can be, especially if they are the only Special Force of the army. Sadly, PARAs aren’t the only one suffering from upsizing of the force, the Navy’s elite MARCOS and the Air Force’s GARUDs are also having the same fate.
MARCOS (Photo by Indian Navy)
MARCOS with Seaking Helicopter (Photo by Indian Navy)
The MCF (Marine Commando Force) is the smallest force of the three with an estimated 1100 operatives, which is all set to increase the number by 250 taking the total number of men to approximately 1350. The GARUDs are also on the same boat, raising more flights of GCF from an estimated 12 to 15 flights now. The upscaling and current structure of the Special Forces has many voids and disadvantages, the primary being the lack of standard equipment and gear among the PARA SF units as the MARCOS and GARUDs are comparatively better equipped. The three SFs still needs to standardise equipment and gear among the force as the armed forces are already going through modernisation and it’s the best time for the SFs to take their fair share from it.
GARUD SF (Photo by IAF)
In my opinion the Indian Special Forces, especially the PARA SF needs an urgent downsizing and an organisational structure change which could be done with these major changes:
• Creation of a separate SF Regiment in the Army with units like 1, 4, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 21 PARA SFs being transferred from the PARA Regiment to it.
• The remaining units like 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 23 and 29 PARA SFs being converted to Airborne SF, adding the ‘Airborne’ tag to their existing suffix.
• Above two points will make sure that the SF is separated and downsized from the existing fifteen battalion strong force under the PARA Regiment.
• The existing Ghatak Platoons should be put under a new separate regiment, structuring them like a force similar to the Rangers Regiment of the US Army.
• The MARCOS should retain its current strength.
• The GARUDs should focus on gaining more experience in their designated roles with limited addition to the manpower. Now to summarise the above write–up, it’s the need of an hour for the Indian Special Forces to have downsize the existing force and have a structural re–organisation. (PS: This is my personal opinion on the Indian Special Forces and nowhere does it reflect the views of the magazine I’m writing this ‘opinion’ for).
GARUD SF Badge MARCOS Badge
PARA SF Badge 5 PARA SF Badge
By Abhinav Negi of Team VAYU (Twitter: @ThatArticleGuy) All images from X/Twitter