Sunday 6 November 2016

Special Forces of India Part 1: MARCOS

Hello Friends, Welcome back I am back with some new Information. Today I am going to share about some of the special forces of India. Earlier I wanted to share the details of all the Special Forces in one blog, but when I started writing I realized that it can not be written in one blog. If you have any problem with the terms in this blog please let me know by comment. I will try to explain those words. I will post the meaning of some words in comment section in some time.  So now let’s begin with today’s topic.

In the world of the military, there is perhaps no unit that captures the imagination of the public quite like the Special Forces. From reconnaissance and assault missions to counter-terrorism and hostage rescue, Special Forces take on some of the hardest missions and live some of the most secret lives in the military world. India’s elite Special Forces are among some of the most formidable military units in the world. Rigorously trained and equipped to handle, support and conduct special operations, these badass units can handle pretty much any dangerous situation without breaking a sweat. An integral part of India’s armed forces; they are indeed the best of the best. Many of these forces are included in top 10 best forces in the world. Here is a list of some of the elite Special Forces troops (with their mottoes) we all should know about. The list starts with the name of best force in my opinion and continues in same order.

Let’s begin the discussion with Marine Commandos also known as MARCOS. Let’s begin with the background for creation of force.

MARCOS

Background:

MARCOS is the Special Forces unit of the Indian Navy. MARCOS was created for conducting special operations such as Amphibious warfare, Close Quarter Combat Counterterrorism, Direct action, Special reconnaissance, Unconventional warfare, Hostage rescue, Personnel recovery, Combat search and rescue, Asymmetric warfare, Foreign internal defence, Counter proliferation, Amphibious reconnaissance including Hydrographic reconnaissance. The Indian Armed Forces wanted to establish an amphibious warfare and maritime special operations force. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Indian Navy supported the landing operations against the Pakistani base of Cox Bazar, Operation Jackpot, landing an army brigade using Polnocny class landing ships without significant resistance. Before this operation, Indian navy divers provided basic training in underwater demolition to Bengali insurgents. However, this did not yield expected results. Later, different Indian army units were assigned amphibious roles in exercises. In 1983, the 340th Army Independent Brigade based at Trivandrum, was converted to an amphibious assault unit.[3] Since then, the navy has conducted various exercises to demonstrate its amphibious abilities, notably the Andaman Islands in 1984, and Goa in 1986. These assault operations included both airborne and amphibious forces. In April 1986, the Indian Navy started planning for a maritime special force which could conduct amphibious reconnaissance, raids and counterterrorist operations.
The force was initially trained by the other special forces of the country, including those under the Home Ministry and the Army. Three officers were then sent to undergo a hard training schedule with US Navy SEALs and further training was then acquired through exchanges with the British Special Air Service. The officers formed the first nucleus of the Indian Marine Special Force (IMSF) which was officially established in February 1987. The first batch of marine commandos qualified in February 1987. It was later renamed as the Marine Commando Force in 1991.

Functions / Role:

The exclusivity of the unit lies in its competence to operate in all three mediums namely Sea, Air and Land. The MCF is specially organized, trained and equipped for the conduct of special operations in a maritime environment. Personnel from unit are deployed round the clock from Kashmir for Counter Insurgency /Counter Terrorism operations to Goa, Somalia for anti-piracy operations. The unit has always been at forefront in providing diving / civil assistance during times of natural disaster. The core tasking of MARCOS include:
  • Conduct clandestine attack against enemy ships, offshore installations and other vital assets behind enemy lines.
  • To support amphibious operations including pre-assault ops.
  • To conduct unconventional warfare.
  • Conduct of surveillance and recce missions in support of military operations.
  • Conduct of clandestine diving operations.
  • To conduct hostage rescue operations in maritime environment.
  • Combating terrorism in a maritime environment.
MARCOS during 26/11 attack


Selection and Training:

All MARCOS personnel are males selected from the Indian Navy. They are selected when they are in their early 20s and have to go through a stringent selection process and training. The selection standards are extremely high. The training is a continuous process. American and British Special Forces assisted in the initial training, which now consists of a two year course for new recruits. The training regimen includes: airborne operations, combat diving courses, counter-terrorism, anti-hijacking, anti-piracy operations, direct action, infiltration and exfiltration tactics, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare training etc. Majority of the training is conducted at INS Abhimanyu which is also the home base of MARCOS.
MARCOS also train along with the Special Forces officers of the Indian Army like the Para Commandos at the Indian Special Forces Training School, Nahan and Army's other schools for Unconventional warfare. These include the Junior Leaders' Commando Training Camp in Belgaum, Karnataka, the Parvat Ghatak School (for high altitude mountain warfare) in Tawang Arunachal Pradesh, Desert warfare school in Rajasthan, the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Sonamarg, Kashmir and the Counter-insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairengte, Mizoram. These elite schools routinely host students from other countries. MARCOS are then trained at various training agencies within the navy. They are skilled combat divers and parachutists and most of the training deals with counter-terrorist, anti-hijacking and anti-piracy operations.
Generally, the pre-training selection process is made of two parts:
  1. Any Indian Navy personnel who want to join this outfit must first undergo a three day long, physical fitness test and aptitude test. Within this process, 80% of the applications are screened out.
  2. Further screening process is known as 'hell's week'. This is actually a five week long process which involves high degree of physical exercises and sleep deprivation. It is only after this process that actual training begins.

The total duration of training of MARCOS is between two and half to three years. The basic training lasts six months. The first two months is the weeding out phase. The first phase of which lasts one month, in which they undergo many rigorous physical tests. Only 50% pass in first phase. Then for the next nine months, they are taught how to use different types of weapons, conduct special warfare techniques and how to gather intelligence from the enemy. The cadets start with basic diving and commando tactics and skills. Those that go on are trained in every aspect of modern warfare and in every situation. This includes firing while lying down, standing, running full sprint, even backwards and looking into a mirror – with a reaction time of 0.27 seconds. This is followed by a year of training of specialised skills. They are trained in various types of close combat including Krav Maga (a self-defense system developed for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that consists of a wide combination of techniques sourced from aikido, judo, boxing and wrestling, along with realistic fight training.). Different forms of warfare training is imparted through field operations in counterinsurgency and antiterrorist operations within the country and are trained to operate in any kind of environment like beaches, deep sea, on the surface of the ocean, in jungles, ravines and for situations like hostage rescue, urban combat and piracy. A notably rigorous training program is the "death crawl" – an 800metre struggle through thigh high mud, loaded with 25 kg of gear and after a 2.5 km obstacle course that most soldiers would fail. After that, when the trainee is exhausted and sleep deprived, he has to undergo the final test – shooting a target 25 metres away, with a partner standing next to it.
The MARCOS are trained in every kind of weapon and instruments, from knives and crossbows to sniper rifles, handguns, assault rifles, submachine guns and bare hands. Being divers, they can reach hostile shores swimming underwater.
  • The further training includes:
  • Open and closed circuit diving
  • Basic commando skills including advanced weapon skills, demolitions, endurance training and martial arts
  • Para training
  • Intelligence training
  • Operation of submersible craft
  • Offshore operations
  • Anti-terrorism operations
  • Operations from submarines
  • Skydiving
  • Various special skills such as language training, insertion methods, etc.
  • Explosive ordnance disposal techniques

The Marcos are also preparing for urban warfare and have begun practicing on 3D virtual models of offshore installations to ensure a swift response during a terrorist attack. The marine commandos are undergoing regular training sessions in this computer generated programme to be well prepared for a strike similar to the 26/11 attack. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has provided a virtual model of its facility in Krishna Godavari basin in the east, for the marine commandos at INS Kalinga, the training base for Marcos in Visakhapatnam.
Navy chief meets MARCOS in J&K

The MCF currently operates out of the naval bases at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Kochi and Port Blair. There are plans to shift the current training facility at the Naval Special Warfare Training and Tactical Centre to a new facility to be set up at the erstwhile Naval Academy in Goa.

 On July 12, 2016, the naval base INS Karna was commissioned near Visakhapatnam as a permanent base for the unit.

 You can also read the following  links for more information.
http://topyaps.com/indian-navy-marcos (Personally my favourite link)
http://www.indiatimes.com/culture/who-we-are/15-reasons-the-indian-navy-marcos-are-the-best-in-the-world-232296.html
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