There have been several restructuring steps taken in the last couple of years to make the Indian Armed Forces more potent and ready to meet contemporary challenges. One of the major steps taken has been the raising of the Special Operations Division. This joint organization would fuse the assets of the three Armed Forces and other agencies to enable synergistic conduct of future special operations at the strategic level. The author recounts the role and development of Indian Special Forces, and discusses relevant aspects for meeting emerging security challenges.
“I would only send you into harm’s way when it was absolutely necessary, with a strategy and well-defined goals, with the equipment and support that you needed to get the job done. Because that’s what you rightfully expect and that is what you rightfully deserve”
- President Obama Farewell Address, 3 January 2017
Introduction
Special Forces of any nation are its crème de la crème, highly specialized to execute unconventional operations in politico-military sensitive environments. They are selected, trained and equipped for undertaking tasks across the entire spectrum of conflict and employed on high risk missions. As their employment is characterized by surprise, low visibility and clandestine nature, they are tools of statecraft ideally utilized below the conventional threshold to meet hybrid and asymmetric challenges.
The US Doctrine for Joint Special Operations has defined Special Operations as “Operations conducted by specially organized, trained and equipped military forces to achieve military, political, economic or psychological objectives by unconventional military means in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive areas. These operations are conducted during peacetime competition, conflict, and war, independent or in coordination with operations of conventional, non-special operations forces”. Over the past two decades, the US Special Operations Forces (SOF) have been in the lead in fighting terrorism in Iraq & Afghanistan, and the conceptual approach with application has come from their extensive intervention and power projection experiences.
India’s Special Forces trace their origin to Meghdoot Force, an ad hoc Commando unit that was organized with volunteers from various Infantry units by Major Megh Singh.
Indian Special Forces have been employed extensively in all major operations to include Operation Pawan (1987-89), Operation Vijay (1999), and extensive counter insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the North East states of India since early 1990s. The successful special operation destroying militant camps along the Indo-Myanmar border in June 2015 and the surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LC) in Pakistan occupied Kashmir in September 2016 have proven the distinct ethos and motivation of these gallant men in combat and special missions. The brief history of our Special Forces is a saga of courage and valour, led by young professionals with guts and glory.
Major Operations – a Rich Heritage
1971 Indo-Pak War 9 Para Commando conducted a classic raid on an artillery battery deployed near village Mandhol in Poonch Sector on the night of 13 December. An intense gunfight took place with Pakistani soldiers, but the raiders destroyed all the six guns and returned to their base. This raid resulted in Pakistan military assigning additional soldiers to defend their artillery guns in the sector.
10 Para Commando executed multiple vehicle borne raids at Chachro, Virawah, Nagarparkar and Islamkot located about 80 kms inside hostile territory, disrupting supply lines, creating confusion and capturing installations between 5th and 8th December 1971. The unit displayed its desert warfare skills by traversing a distance of over 500 kms and executing the raids with no casualties.
1987-89 Operation Pawan While the initial heliborne assault in Jaffna University on the night of 11 October 1987 by 10 Para Commando resulted in a tragic failure mainly due to lack of adequate intelligence, the Para Commando battalions regrouped and made sustained efforts subsequently. This resulted in the capture of Jaffna Peninsula and forced LTTE militants to take refuge in forests. This battle experience led the units to be deployed in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa in 1988. The Special Forces undertook many successful raids and search & destroy missions in the most difficult jungles of North East Sri Lanka. The units returned with invaluable operational experiences which laid the foundations for their special skills in fighting counter insurgency.
Counter-Insurgency Operations Special Forces units have conducted major successful operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern states with professional finesse and proficiency over the last two decades. Their, role, tasking and expectations have increased substantially as a counter-terrorism force, conducting pro-active raids and hostage rescue missions. Over the years, the recognition of their spectacular achievements by highest awards of the nation for bravery and sacrifice is a testimony to the levels of motivation and risk-taking abilities. They have demonstrated single minded devotion and superlative leadership at all levels in critical missions.
Leadership as the Defining Factor
Exceptional leadership has been the hallmark of Special Forces, making them the ultimate force multiplier with their do-or-die attitude across the spectrum over the past two decades. There are many extraordinary tales of fearlessness and sacrifice among India’s elite warriors, some well known and most under the wraps for confidentiality reasons. To briefly elucidate the tale of valour and raw courage of one such brave heart, Major Mohit Sharma whose life portrait adorns the entrance to the Ministry of Defence office in South Block, his innocent smile greeting the Defence Minister, Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs every day, as he was awarded India’s highest honour, Ashoka Chakra in 2010.
Mohit was so thin and skinny that he had to make extra efforts to gain weight and join the National Defence Academy in 1995. After excelling in training in the academies, he joined an Infantry unit only to volunteer for a Rashtriya Rifles battalion, honing his skills and techniques in counter insurgency operations. But his heart craved for more action and adventure, and he volunteered for Special Forces. Undeterred by not making it in the first attempt due to health reasons in 2002, he volunteered again and broke the glass ceiling by donning the coveted Balidan badge in 2003. Those who knew him are witness to his never-say-die spirit, risk taking ability and raw courage while operating in Shopian sector in South Kashmir. His covert operation to infiltrate the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen and neutralize the top leadership single handedly in 2004, is a folklore study encompassing all the tenets of guile, courage and intuition.
Having been a valiant warrior in fighting insurgency in the jungles, he led a team in dense Haphruda Forest of North Kashmir to track infiltrating terrorists in March 2009. In the course of the operation, heavy exchange of fire wounded his two scouts but he recovered them to safety and killed two terrorists. In spite of serious wounds sustained in the gunfight and sensing danger to his buddies, he charged and killed two more terrorists at close quarters and was awarded the Ashoka Chakra for his exceptional gallantry beyond the call of duty on Republic Day, 2010. His story continues to motivate the new generation of ‘Band of Brothers’ in the Special Forces, as are the sacrifices of other Ashoka Chakra awardees to include Captain Arun Jasrotia (1996), Major Sudhir Walia (2000), Paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri (2004), Captain R Harshan (2007), Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan (2009), Havildar Gajendar Singh (2009), Havildar Bahadur Singh (2009) and Lance Naik Mohan Goswami (2016), who demonstrated the fighting spirit and ‘Never Give In’ attitude in service to the nation.
Framework for Likely Role and Tasks
The employment of Special Forces in war is focused on ‘Shaping the Battlefield’ with reconnaissance, disruption and dislocation missions to increase friction for the enemy by disproportionate damage to critical assets. The ‘Concept of Relative Superiority’ through surprise and shock action is the raison d’etre for Special Forces to execute significant missions in support of conventional operations by addressing the enemy’s centre of gravity.
The operational spectrum of warfighting is being driven by technological advancements in communications, computing, armament and mobility with war fighting changing the paradigm to asymmetric warfare, terrorism and proxy wars. With conventional wars receding as an option, limited short duration engagements below the nuclear threshold with punitive strikes are emerging as likely conflict scenarios. The Special Forces in coordination with Cyber, Space and Artificial Intelligence capabilities can provide us a credible response mechanism to deal with emerging challenges comprehensively.
India’s rise as a major economic power with increased strategic interests in the immediate and extended neighbourhood can be best safeguarded by enhancing the role of Special Forces to address various contingencies. Leading nations of the world have employed Special Forces as a highly flexible and low-cost tool of statecraft to achieve political outcomes without resorting to escalatory conflicts. Special operations are aimed to achieve psychological dislocation of an adversary’s critical assets and being sensitive in peace time, need political oversight at the highest level. They are ’High Risk, High Gain’ missions focused to deliver disproportionate results. A foolproof degree of planning, accurate intelligence and detailed preparation is mandatory to ensure desired outcomes. Special Forces employ both direct and indirect approaches to execute allotted missions, maintaining a fine balance between ‘Need to Know’ security and extensive coordination with various agencies. A high level of individual, terrain related combat expertise with proficiency in cultural and language skills is inescapable for mission success.
Present Status in the Geo-strategic Environment
As our Special Forces evolved and trained for high risk operations, a holistic assessment points out that they have been utilized sub-optimally on tactical missions routinely rather than strategic and unconventional missions for high value targets. Analysts have pointed out that the potential of Special Forces to serve as instruments of national policy has not manifested itself due to rapid proliferation of units, inadequate high technology equipment and lack of appropriate command & control structures. The Special Forces truths that ‘They cannot be mass produced’ and ‘Quality supercedes Quantity’ appear to have been overlooked by planners.
However, in keeping with the serious challenges posed by the two inimical nuclear armed neighbours and regional constraints, the Special Forces units have focused to achieve enhanced operational efficiency with cohesive training, terrain specialization and effective equipment. The highly successful surgical strikes executed in September 2016 brought to fore the potential of Special Forces to deliver at the politico-military strategic level. All the skills and rich combat experiences of the elite force had combined to deliver under the toughest and most challenging situation prevailing on the LC.
The increased awareness and exposure of the environment to Special Forces tenets and operational philosophy, with the willing support of the political leadership to exploit the attributes of unconventional forces led to the establishment of the Special Operations Division in 2018. By virtue of being a joint force with dedicated intelligence, strategic mobility and advance weaponry and mandated to function in crisis situations, it has great potential to meet the politico-strategic tasks in future. As India’s geo-strategic influence increases, the force can undertake diverse roles to include safeguarding our national security interests and assets, rescue of Indian nationals, assistance to United Nations peacekeeping missions and friendly foreign countries when required. The centralized command and control hierarchy with requisite interfaces with other agencies and a versatile joint structure empowers the Special Forces fraternity to live up to and meet emerging security developments.
Conclusion
India’s Special Forces have proved their mettle in the most challenging combat situations over the last few decades steeled by their ethos, commitment, espirit-de-corps and superior leadership. As Indian national security interests and assets expand with expanded foreign policy objectives, Special Forces would be called upon to protect and project our strategic capacities. The recent raising of the Special Operations Division has been timely and reflects the need for a robust joint force to address security challenges in India’s sphere of influence. Towards this end, the optimal employment, deployment and exploitation of restructured Special Forces to meet our foreign policy, security and economic interests is an idea whose time has come.
- Maj Gen A K Dhingra ( Retd)