War Heroes of India: January 2018

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.

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.

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.