Indian Special Forces (archived)

[abingdonboy]

SG is a very decent unit from what I am able to piece together

I have had some interesting conversations privately about them in recent weeks and it seems what sets them apart is 1) direct access to command from relatively low level operators 2) a very clear mandate on what they do. They aren’t sent out at the request of every local Tom dick and Harry, they only take part in operations that have a strategic value 3) their interactions with foreign SF are away from public eyes and hence there is scope for more in-depth cross pollination- there isn’t the demand to take part in CBMs and pose for local defence journos hence interactions can actually be meaningful and have tangible benefits 4) the focus on support staff is unparalleled in the Indian SF community- instead of just giving each operator a primary and secondary focus (as is done in PARA SF) they also have an extensive support staff and can roll in specialists from the entire service where needed hence their ops are planned in advance with specific skill sets in mind. In the other SF units they focus on adapting and overcoming shortcomings in real time more than specialisation 5) SG place a lot of effort on human capital and they try to make every operator of their’s an instructor in their own right. Every professional can see the value in having a cadre full of instructors- they are not juvenile foolhardy killing machines but cold and calculated operators that have been there and done that. This is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor of SG- their ranks are full of experienced and analytical people.


Perhaps there is a lesson here for the ‘vanilla’ SF units in India


(Of course having access to the cream of India’s military human capital is obviously a unique benefit too)

 

[Automatic Kalashnikov]

Had heard quite a few veterans say that the second pic isn't of an SG operative, especially a few months back when then pic surfaced up. Anyone knows for sure?

 

[AZTEC]

Do we have any updates about the new small ‘elite’ SF unit being setup under direct command of Army Chief?

This new unit is planned to have “enhanced capabilities”. It will have “96 members for the planning group, and 124 for the assault group”. Moreover, the assault group will be further divided into attack and support units.

On paper, this plan looks very contemporary, seemingly on par with what NATO countries would’ve done.

A "Surgical Strike" Unit To Fight Behind Enemy Lines: Government Sources

The government is planning to set up a "surgical strike" force comprising the best soldiers drawn from the three branches of the military, a senior government official told NDTV. This special unit will conduct surprise precision strikes deep inside enemy territory, inflicting maximum damage in...

www.ndtv.com

 

[armyofhind]

Since there was some debate about ANA SOF being "hardcore" yesterday on some other thread.

Allies, enemies, or just useless? A Special Forces operator on working with Afghan SOF

Fact: The Afghanistan National Army Special Forces (ANASF) is the most overused force in Afghanistan. I have personally worked with several Kandaks

sofrep.com

 

[Killbot]

SG is a very decent unit from what I am able to piece together

I have had some interesting conversations privately about them in recent weeks and it seems what sets them apart is 1) direct access to command from relatively low level operators 2) a very clear mandate on what they do. They aren’t sent out at the request of every local Tom dick and Harry, they only take part in operations that have a strategic value 3) their interactions with foreign SF are away from public eyes and hence there is scope for more in-depth cross pollination- there isn’t the demand to take part in CBMs and pose for local defence journos hence interactions can actually be meaningful and have tangible benefits 4) the focus on support staff is unparalleled in the Indian SF community- instead of just giving each operator a primary and secondary focus (as is done in PARA SF) they also have an extensive support staff and can roll in specialists from the entire service where needed hence their ops are planned in advance with specific skill sets in mind. In the other SF units they focus on adapting and overcoming shortcomings in real time more than specialisation 5) SG place a lot of effort on human capital and they try to make every operator of their’s an instructor in their own right. Every professional can see the value in having a cadre full of instructors- they are not juvenile foolhardy killing machines but cold and calculated operators that have been there and done that. This is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor of SG- their ranks are full of experienced and analytical people.


Perhaps there is a lesson here for the ‘vanilla’ SF units in India


(Of course having access to the cream of India’s military human capital is obviously a unique benefit too)

But it is crappy that SG is made of deputees. Something permanent would be nice. But on the flip side, operators' skills can trickle down to the rest of their respective units.

 

[Killbot]

Since there was some debate about ANA SOF being "hardcore" yesterday on some other thread.

Allies, enemies, or just useless? A Special Forces operator on working with Afghan SOF

Fact: The Afghanistan National Army Special Forces (ANASF) is the most overused force in Afghanistan. I have personally worked with several Kandaks

sofrep.com

Does it explicitly say NDS SF? Because that was who I was referring to. Or ANA Commando Corps? ANA 'SF' is just 20000 commandos. They would be equivalent to our SFF. As to who is more capable, I don't know, but I'd hedge my bets on SFF, simply because of the fact that their officers are from the army SF, and are very capable for the most part.

 

[armyofhind]

Does it explicitly say NDS SF? Because that was who I was referring to. Or ANA Commando Corps? ANA 'SF' is just 20000 commandos. They would be equivalent to our SFF. As to who is more capable, I don't know, but I'd hedge my bets on SFF, simply because of the fact that their officers are from the army SF, and are very capable for the most part.

if you want to compare NDS SF then compare them with SG.

Info on the ops of either unit will be scant so its an exercise in futility anyway.

 

[Killbot]

NDS SF:

“They’ve Shot Many Like This”

Summary Through much of 2019, the United States government and Taliban insurgents were engaged in negotiations toward an agreement that could lead to the eventual withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan. Those negotiations officially halted, at least temporarily, on September 7, 2019. In the...

www.hrw.org

NDS’s Special Forces Step Up Night Raids | TOLOnews

Briefing special forces ahead of a night raid, the unit’s commander emphasized the importance of protecting the lives of civilians and targeting only insurgents.

tolonews.com

NDS Special Forces bust a network of ISIS terrorists in Kabul city - Khaama Press

The largest online news service for Afghanistan

www.khaama.com

NDS Special Forces rescue 12 people from a Taliban prison in Helmand

avapress.com

Senior al-Qaeda leader killed in Afghanistan

Abu Muhsin al-Masri, believed to be al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, was on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List.

www.aljazeera.com

Taliban commander among 4 killed in NDS Special Forces night raid - Khaama Press

The largest online news service for Afghanistan

www.khaama.com

These guys...

 

[Killbot]

if you want to compare NDS SF then compare them with SG.

Info on the ops of either unit will be scant so its an exercise in futility anyway.

Absolutely not, sir, I'm comparing them to Para. Their roles are more akin to Para/AFSOD. They have nothing in common with SG except that they are under Intelligence organisation control. They are acknowledged by Afghan government, so comparison with SG ends there.

And there is plenty of info on NDS SF. News on an almost weekly basis. Also, UNHRW is cribbing about them, so they have to be efficient at what they do. Hint: others HRW homos crib about are Delta, ST6, aussie SASR, german KSK, Green Berets to name a few.

 

[rkhanna]

Do we have any updates about the new small ‘elite’ SF unit being setup under direct command of Army Chief?

This new unit is planned to have “enhanced capabilities”. It will have “96 members for the planning group, and 124 for the assault group”. Moreover, the assault group will be further divided into attack and support units.

On paper, this plan looks very contemporary, seemingly on par with what NATO countries would’ve done.

A "Surgical Strike" Unit To Fight Behind Enemy Lines: Government Sources

The government is planning to set up a "surgical strike" force comprising the best soldiers drawn from the three branches of the military, a senior government official told NDTV. This special unit will conduct surprise precision strikes deep inside enemy territory, inflicting maximum damage in...

www.ndtv.com

This was AFSOD noise only. Don't think this is any seperate unit.

But it is crappy that SG is made of deputees. Something permanent would be nice. But on the flip side, operators' skills can trickle down to the rest of their respective units.

Lack of institutional memory becomes inefficient after a while.

SG should also figure out where it is playing -RAW (SAD) / Military (Delta) / MI (ISA) - today they straddle all three as they are the only tool on the belt.

 

[Killbot]

Lack of institutional memory becomes inefficient after a while.

SG should also figure out where it is playing -RAW (SAD) / Military (Delta) / MI (ISA) - today they straddle all three as they are the only tool on the belt.

I'd have them doing exclusively what SAD does. Military trained research officers. HUMINT handlers in sensitive areas and such. Direct action only when absolutely necessary. I assume they are trained the same as the rest of RAW's research officers? And SOF stuff, of course. This is only possible if they are institutionalised, as you said.. Also, is the deputation for a meaningful period of time? I don't need to know how long, just whether long enough to be meaningful and not a waste of resources for training or not.

 

[Killbot]

NDS SF:

“They’ve Shot Many Like This”

Summary Through much of 2019, the United States government and Taliban insurgents were engaged in negotiations toward an agreement that could lead to the eventual withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan. Those negotiations officially halted, at least temporarily, on September 7, 2019. In the...

www.hrw.org

NDS’s Special Forces Step Up Night Raids | TOLOnews

Briefing special forces ahead of a night raid, the unit’s commander emphasized the importance of protecting the lives of civilians and targeting only insurgents.

tolonews.com

NDS Special Forces bust a network of ISIS terrorists in Kabul city - Khaama Press

The largest online news service for Afghanistan

www.khaama.com

NDS Special Forces rescue 12 people from a Taliban prison in Helmand

avapress.com

Senior al-Qaeda leader killed in Afghanistan

Abu Muhsin al-Masri, believed to be al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, was on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List.

www.aljazeera.com

Taliban commander among 4 killed in NDS Special Forces night raid - Khaama Press

The largest online news service for Afghanistan

www.khaama.com

These guys...

@armyofhind

 

[rkhanna]

I'd have them doing exclusively what SAD does. Military trained research officers. HUMINT handlers in sensitive areas and such. Direct action only when absolutely necessary. I assume they are trained the same as the rest of RAW's research officers? And SOF stuff, of course. This is only possible if they are institutionalised, as you said.. Also, is the deputation for a meaningful period of time? I don't need to know how long, just whether long enough to be meaningful and not a waste of resources for training or not.

Some deputation is longer some is as short as 6 months mission specific.

 

[FalconZero]

Senior members and highly decorated people of gucci gang can you specify what kind of mask these two marcos operators are wearing in this pic? Reverse search only leads to a few pages without any mention of the gears, Thank You!

 

[ManhattanProject]

Senior members and highly decorated people of gucci gang can you specify what kind of mask these two marcos operators are wearing in this pic? Reverse search only leads to a few pages without any mention of the gears, Thank You!
View attachment 66857

where do these guys find those crappy non modular vests?

 

[Killbot]

where do these guys find those crappy non modular vests?

OFB

 

[12arya]

CDS Rawat asks forces to curb peace-time ops, Navy to focus on Andamans

Marine commandos have been asked to be deployed with Army’s special forces in Ladakh and Navy asked to focus on Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

www.hindustantimes.com

Gen Rawat asks tri-services to curb peace-time activities in deference to deployed troops in Ladakh

Marine commandos have been asked to be deployed with Army’s special forces in Ladakh and Navy asked to focus on Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat has asked the three services to curb all peace-time activities.(Twitter/@proudhampur)



At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians to light a “diya (lamp)” for soldiers deployed on Ladakh borders, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat has asked the three services to curb all peace-time activities in deference to deployed troops and be ready in case of a worst case scenario.

It is understood that Navy’s marine commandos have been asked to be deployed in East Ladakh where the Indian Army is locked in a stand-off with People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Gogra-Hot Springs and both banks of Pangong Tso lake. The MARCOS will be deployed with the Indian Special Forces to gain experience in polar desert conditions with high wind chill factor and heavy snow.

The deployed troops are waiting for last shipment of polar winter clothing and face masks, which are expected to arrive from US Army own reserve stocks by the first week of November. Just like the PLA, the Indian Army is prepared for a long haul and is in no mood to cede an inch of territory to the aggressive Chinese Army. The PLA has already deployed strategic jammers in Arunachal Pradesh and is going in for a massive infrastructure and storage capacity upgrade in both Xinjiang and Tibet.

According to senior military commanders, Gen Rawat has made it clear to all the three services that these are not normal times with troops, artillery and tanks deployed along the 1597 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and hence all peace-time activities must be curbed. “As situation in east Ladakh can get worse any time in case of an accident, the armed forces must be ready for any scenario. It cannot be that while the entire northern army command and western air command is battle deployed in frozen condition, the rest of us are celebrating the festival season and playing golf. Let nobody forget there is a war on in Ladakh,” said a South Block official.

In lieu of this, the Indian Navy has been asked to focus on Andaman and Nicobar Island to monitor Chinese warship activity in Indian Ocean rather than get concerned about PLA Navy deployments off the coast of Africa. Indian Island territories of Lakshadweep and ANC are the key to national maritime security as they dominate the most important shipping lanes - from Persian Gulf to Malacca Straits—in the world.

 

[rkhanna]

Senior members and highly decorated people of gucci gang can you specify what kind of mask these two marcos operators are wearing in this pic? Reverse search only leads to a few pages without any mention of the gears, Thank You!
View attachment 66857

Their normal nomex masks I think only for the face and not the entire ski masks

 

[Phantom sierra]

 

[Edyk12]

SG is a very decent unit from what I am able to piece together

I have had some interesting conversations privately about them in recent weeks and it seems what sets them apart is 1) direct access to command from relatively low level operators 2) a very clear mandate on what they do. They aren’t sent out at the request of every local Tom dick and Harry, they only take part in operations that have a strategic value 3) their interactions with foreign SF are away from public eyes and hence there is scope for more in-depth cross pollination- there isn’t the demand to take part in CBMs and pose for local defence journos hence interactions can actually be meaningful and have tangible benefits 4) the focus on support staff is unparalleled in the Indian SF community- instead of just giving each operator a primary and secondary focus (as is done in PARA SF) they also have an extensive support staff and can roll in specialists from the entire service where needed hence their ops are planned in advance with specific skill sets in mind. In the other SF units they focus on adapting and overcoming shortcomings in real time more than specialisation 5) SG place a lot of effort on human capital and they try to make every operator of their’s an instructor in their own right. Every professional can see the value in having a cadre full of instructors- they are not juvenile foolhardy killing machines but cold and calculated operators that have been there and done that. This is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor of SG- their ranks are full of experienced and analytical people.


Perhaps there is a lesson here for the ‘vanilla’ SF units in India


(Of course having access to the cream of India’s military human capital is obviously a unique benefit too)

Can you piece together an article, will be a very informative read I am sure....