Hello friends welcome back,
today I am going to tell you about Garud Commandos of Indian Airforce. If you
have any problem with the terms in this blog please let me know by comment I
will try to explain those words. So now let's begin with background of Garud
Commandos:
BACKGROUND
The Garud Commandos are one of
the newest Special Operations Forces (SOF) units within the Indian armed
forces. Many people heard about the Garud Commandos for the first time when
they were deployed in operation to flush out militants from Pathankot air base
in January 2016. But the force was established 13 years earlier to that in
2003. The need for a dedicated force was felt when militants attacked two air
bases in Jammu and Kashmir in 2001. The first batch of Garud commandos was
unveiled on February 6, 2004. It was established with the intention of
providing a versatile military capability specific to the requirements of the
IAF. One of their main responsibilities during peace time is defending IAF's
airfields.
While the Army might have
provided some Special forces units to the Air Force, its units were always
subject to being posted out on rotation to other areas as per the Army's
requirements. It was felt that the specialized training the air force would
have provided such units would have to be repeated again and again for the
replacement units.
The initial plans mooted in
October 2002 called for a specialized force with 2000 commandos. The force was
originally called "Tiger Force", but was later renamed as "Garud
Force". In order to address the need for a dedicated force, in September
2003, the Government of India authorized a force to be raised and
trained on the lines of the Para commandos of the army and MARCOS of the Indian
Navy, with the mandate of performing niche, Air Force specific operational
tasks.
This is a very good shown onNDTV in 2013.
Responsibilities
Garuds have diverse
responsibilities. Besides base protection force to protect airfields and key
assets in hostile environments, some advanced Garud units are trained like Army
Para Commandos and the Naval MARCOS to undertake missions deep behind enemy
lines.
Wartime duties
During hostilities, Garuds
undertake following operations:
- Combat search and rescue
- Rescue of downed airmen and other forces from behind enemy lines
- Suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD)
- Radar busting, combat control, missile and munitions guidance ("lasing" of targets) and other missions in support of air operations.
It has been suggested that
they undertake an offensive role including raids on enemy air bases etc. during
times of war. Apart from protecting air bases from sabotage and attacks by
commando raids, they are also tasked to seal off weapons systems, fighter
hangars and other major systems during intrusions and conflicts.
Peacetime duties
During peace time, apart from protecting the air bases and other vital infrastructure from terrorist attacks, Garud roles include counter terrorism, anti-hijacking, hostage rescue, aid during natural calamities and military tasks in the interest of the nation.
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| Insignia of Garud Commando |
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
Garud personnel are enlisted
as Airmen within the Indian Air Force rank structure. The entire force is
currently under the command of a Wing Commander rank officer. The Garud force
is organized into fifteen "Flights" - a flight is roughly the
equivalent of a company (A company comprises of 120 soldiers) in an infantry
battalion, and is commanded by a Flight Lieutenant. Each flight is based at
various Air Force stations, where they train and provide security.
SELECTION AND TRAINING
Unlike its counterparts in the
Army and Navy, candidates for Garud Commandos are not selected from volunteers
of other branches. Recruitment to the Garuds is done directly through airmen
selection centers via advertisements. Candidates found eligible for the force
are put through a process of rigorous physical training. Candidates have only
one chance to become a Garud trainee. Once a recruit completes training and
meets required standards, he is included into the Commando force. The first
batch of Officers for the Garuds were volunteers from the Cadets of the Ground
Duty Officers course being trained at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal,
Telangana.
Garud trainees undergo a
72-week Basic Training course, which is the longest among all the Indian
special forces but it also includes basic training. The total duration of
training before a trainee can qualify as a fully operational Garud is around 3
years.
The initial phase is a
three-month probationary training which filters in the promising candidates for
the next phases of training. This phase, which usually has a high attrition
(Drop-out) rate is conducted at the Garud Regimental Training Centre located at
Hindon, Ghaziabad which is near to New Delhi.
The subsequent phase of
special operations training is imparted by the Special Group of the Special
Frontier Force, the army, NSG and the paramilitary forces. Those who qualify,
proceed to the Parachute Training School (PTS) at Agra to complete the basic
airborne phase. Trainees are trained along with paratroopers of the Indian
Army.
The remainder of the phases
concentrates on niche fields like jungle and snow survival, demolition, etc.
Garuds also train at the diving school of the Indian Navy and the Army's
Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS). The final phase of
training is active operations on being attached to Special Force Units of the
Indian Army, which helps the Garuds in gaining operational experience.
After induction, the commandos
also undergo advanced training, including anti-hijack and counter insurgency
training, jungle and snow survival techniques, specialized weapon handling and
advanced driving skills.
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| Still from Garud Commando training |
OPERATIONS UNDERTAKEN
Though Garud is not a
"secret" unit, very little is known about its operations and
assignments, maybe because National Security Guards and Para Commandos are the
primary choice of the Indian government to perform operations. Garuds have been
deployed to Congo as a part of the UN peace keeping contingent. They also
operate alongside Army special forces in Jammu and Kashmir to gain operational
exposure. Towards this purpose, teams from the flights are attached to army SF
units. Garud Commandos were tasked to provide security at the Yelahanka AFS
during Aero India-2005, 2007, 2011 and 2013. They were also deployed in
operation to flush out militants from Pathankot air base in January 2016.
MARTYRDOM
As per the information in
public domain the Garud force has suffered three casualties till date. On
January 2, 2016, the unit took a casualty during the 2016 Pathankot attack when
Commando Gursewak Singh made the supreme sacrifice in action and Two Garud
commandos Sergeant Milind Kishor and Corporal Nilesh Kumar, who were part of a
joint security team, were killed in a gunfight with Lashkar-Taiba militants in
north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on October 11, 2017.
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| Sgt K. Milind Kishor and Cpl Nilesh Kumar of Indian Air Force Garud who attained martyrdom in J&K |
In the end I will leave you with a GARUD Commando Surgical Strike Drill.
