Hello friends welcome back
I am back with the details of para Commandos of Indian Army. I will be sharing
the background of creation of para Commandos i.e. why this force was needed,
how the selection for this force is made and how they are trained? I will also
be sharing some interesting stories of their operations in past. 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 the
comment section. So now let's begin with today's topic:
PARA (SF)
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| PARA SF in republican days parade |
BACKGROUND
The Commandoes of 10 Para
(Special Forces) are second to none in the world. The battalion was raised on
June 1, 1967 under Lt Col NS Utthaya. This elite unit of our Army has not only
excelled during war but also during peace-time. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war,
the unit, then designated as '10 Para Commando', carried out a daring 80
km-deep raid inside Pakistan's territory on the Indus Rangers HQ at Chachro
(Sind). The battalion carried out many other vehicle-borne raids during the
1971 war. I guess many of you don’t know about this story but I bet all of you
know about surgical strike conducted by Indian army in Pakistan on 29th
September, 2016. That surgical strike was also conducted by Para (SF)
commandos. Enemy never knows from where the commando comes, when they perform there
destruction work and where they go back.
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| Rare images of tangail air drop |
The Indian Parachute
Regiment was formed on 1st March, 1945 consisting of four Battalions
and an equal number of independent companies. During the demobilisation after
the World War II the regiment was disbanded and the battalions were amalgamated
with their parent regiments, however they retained their Para role and formed
part of the Airborne Division. After independence the Airborne Division was
split and 50th and 77th Brigades remained in India with six Para battalions. On
15 Apr 1952 the Parachute Regiment was re-raised by absorbing three Para
battalions.
- 1st Battalion the Punjab Regiment (PARA) redesignated as 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (PUNJAB)
- 3rd Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry (PARA) redesignated as 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (MARATHA) and
- 1st Battalion the Kumaon Regiment (PARA) redesignated as 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (KUMAON).
These battalions have now
been redesignated as 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (SF), 2nd Battalion
The Parachute Regiment (SF) and 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (SF)
respectively. After the 1962 war the regiment was expanded by raising five new
Para Battalions and after the 1965 war 9 PARA (Commando) and 10 PARA (Commando)
were also raised. Currently the regiment has seven Special Forces (SF)
Battalions i.e. 1,2,3,4,9,10 and 21 PARA (SF) and three Airborne battalions
i.e. 5, 6 and 7 PARA.
The Parachute Regiment
Depot and Records was raised at Agra on 15th April 1952 to coincide
with the raising of the Regiment. On 1st May 1962, a training wing
of the Parachute Regiment was formed at Kota under the Brigade of the Guards
Training Centre and thus started the direct recruitment and training of
recruits for The Parachute Regiment. On 13th March 1963, the
Government of India accorded sanction for raising of The Parachute Regiment
Training Centre to be located at Agra Fort. The first batch of recruits from
the Rajputana Rifles, Rajput, Sikh and Dogra Regiments started arriving in the
Training Battalion located at Kheria Camp, Agra. On 5th February
1965, the Centre moved to Morar Cantt, Gwalior. On 2nd October 1975,
The Parachute Regiment Training Centre, Records and Pay And Accounts Office
(Other Ranks) moved to Agra. On 15th January 1992, The Centre along
with The Records and Pay And Accounts Office (Other Ranks) moved to Bangalore
which is now its Key Location Plan (KLP).
Functions / ROLE
Some of the
important roles of para (SF) includes:
- Intelligence collection, special reconnaissance
- Subversion and sabotage of vital enemy infrastructure and communications through deep penetration and surgical strikes behind enemy lines.
- Covert and overt/direct action special operations as part of the Indian Army's counter-terrorist
- and counter-insurgency operations.
- Hostage rescue operations within and beyond Indian Territory.
SELECTION AND TRAINING
All Indian
paratroopers are volunteers. Some enter the Para regiments fresh from
recruitment, while others transfer in from regular army units. They are put
through a probationary period / selection process of three months for
Paratroopers (Airborne) Battalions (5,6,7) and six months for Para (Special
Forces) battalions (1,2,3,4,9,10,21 PARA), in order to be a Para (Special
Forces) all personnel are first required to qualify as Paratroopers; Once
selected the candidates may choose to advance to the SF selection, which takes
place twice a year in the spring and the autumn term. It is one of the longest
and toughest phases in world where the applicant is exposed to sleep
deprivation, humiliation, exhaustion, mental and physical torture. The
selection has reported deaths in the process itself. The attrition rate is very
high and is in between 90-95 percent.
The initial
training to be a special forces operator is 3.5 years, the longest anywhere but
the training is also a continuous process, in the special forces, the members
are imparted both basic and advance training. They are taught specialised mode
of infiltration and exfiltration, either by air (combat freefall) or sea
(combat diving). Some trainees return to PTS to undergo the freefall course,
which requires at least 50 jumps from altitudes up to 33,500 feet to pass. Both
HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) and HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) techniques
are learned. The ability to use the HAHO method and specially designed
maneuverable parachutes called HAPPS (High Altitude Parachute Penetration
System)/AMX310 to conduct stealth insertions over distances up to 50 km is also
perfected.
For combat
diving training, the commandos are sent to the Naval Diving School, Kochi. Like
other special forces, these para commandos are trained for land, air and water.
Daily
routine begins with a 20 km morning run. Infiltration, exfiltration, assault,
room and building intervention, intelligence gathering, patrolling, ambush
tactics, counter-ambush tactics, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, unconventional
warfare, guerilla warfare, asymmetric warfare, raids & sabotage, martial
arts training, tactical shooting, stress firing, reflex shooting, buddy system
drills, close quarter battle, tactical driving, advance weapon courses &
handling, sniping, demolition training, survival skills, linguistic training, logistic
training, tradecraft training is imparted by the intelligence agencies. The
training drills involve live ammunition at all times which has also become a
reason for fatal accidents at times leading to death.
Night and
weapons training and field craft involving 20 km treks with 60 kg (132 lb)
loads and live ammunition are conducted. Weekly forced marches with 65 kg
combat loads with distances over 50 to 80 miles and quarterly night drops with
full combat loads are also conducted. In addition to this in-house training,
the commandos also attend a number of schools run by the Army that specialize
in terrain and environment 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 Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairengte, Mizoram,
Indian special forces training school in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh. These schools
are among the finest of their kind anywhere and routinely host students from
other countries.
Members of
USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) and UKSF (United Kingdom
Special Forces) have conducted joint training exercises with the Indian Paras,
and SOF (Special Operation Forces) members from the three nations routinely
train at each other's facilities to improve military cooperation and tactical
skills. This allows the SOF operators from each nation to see tactics and
perspectives offered by other topnotch organizations.
U.S. Army
Special Forces have also conducted joint HAHO training with the Para (SF) in
1992, underwater training in 1995 and antiterrorism training in 1997. It is
thought that the French Foreign Legion also has approached CIJWS regarding the
courses taught by them. Para (SF) can also undergo a complete Combat Divers
course, in which they earn a combat diver badge. They are also experienced in
conducting SHBO (special heli-borne operations) and typically employ Cheetahs, MI8/MI17
or HAL (Dhruv) helicopters for this purpose.
International competitions
Personnel
from the Para (SF) have participated in international competitions, including
Cambrian Patrol. This exercise was designed to test the endurance, combat
efficiency, and combat readiness of the Special Forces community. In 2014, 140
teams participated, and a team from the Indian Army won a gold medal.
Insignia
Para (SF)
personnel, like other parachute troops in the Indian military, wear a maroon
beret. In addition, they wear a 'Special Forces' tab on each shoulder. Personnel
who serve in the Para (SF) are allowed to wear the 'Balidaan' (Sacrifice) patch
on their right pocket below the name plate, which is similar to the SAS beret insignia;
only para commandos are allowed to wear the patch. Para (SF) personnel may grow
beards, as this allows them to blend in with the civilian population,
especially in Jammu and Kashmir. The insignia on their beret is drawn from the
near identical insignia of the British Special Air Service.
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| Insignia of Para (SF) |
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