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)
