The spirals of an Octopus!

MAJOR KULBIR SINGH. Dated: 12/9/2017 8:14:46 AM

Beware the enemy they can strike underwater with swirl of their tentacles!

Major Kulbir Singh
Jammu, Dec 8
They are giants at sea taming the enemy but on the land they are Hyenas on the prowl. They do which no one alse can. If US SEALS are considered the best they are a little better from them! There are special forces and then there are the Indian Navy’s Marine Commandos or MARCOS.
The Indian Navy’s elite special force, that specialises in everything from counter terrorism to underwater operations and sabotage to anti-piracy ops. Thanks to this wide field of operation, they have not only served on the high seas but also been called in during Op Vijay, better known as the Kargil War. Here’s what makes them the best in the world.
1.MARCOS were raised as the Indian Marine Special Forces (IMSF) in 1985. Two years later, they were renamed the Marine Commando Force (MCF). Their motto is – The Few The Fearless.
2. Becoming a MARCO or a Marine Commando is no cakewalk. Trainees have to undergo one of the world’s toughest courses that can last between two-and-a-half to three years, depending on the specialisation.
4. Those that clear the selection then start undergoing the grilling course which includes basic training at INS Abhimanyu in Mumbai. The trainees then train in para jumps at the Paratrooper Training School in Agra and a diving course at Navy’s Diving School in Kochi.
5. After this basic training, they join on probation their respective groups for advance training. This includes training for counter insurgency, anti-hijacking, anti-piracy, clandestine operations, surveillance and reconnaissance, amphibious operations, unconventional warfare, and hostage rescue, among others.
6. All MARCOS are static line para jump qualified and some are qualified for freefall (HALO/HAHO) para jumps – High Altitude Low Opening and High Altitude High Opening. In fact, MARCOS are the handful of the special forces from around the world that are capable of being para dropped into the sea with the full combat load.
7. MARCOS are also trained in High Altitude Commando Course at the Parvat Ghatak School in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, at the Desert Warfare School in Rajasthan, High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Sonmarg and Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Mizoram.
8. After completion of training, a MARCO serves with the elite outfit for 3 to 5 years.
9. The MARCOS are equipped with some of the best weapons in the world. The units are equipped with the Israeli Tavor TAR-21 assault rifle to which a 40 mm grenade launcher can be attached. The TAR-21 is weather sealed, so a MARCO can emerge out of the sea, weapon drawn and ready to shoot. A scary sight for the bad guys!
10. Other weapons include the Heckler & Koch MP5 sub machine gun for close quarter battles, the SIG Sauer P226 and Glock 17 pistols and the Druganov and Galil sniper rifles and OSV-96 semi-auto heavy caliber anti material rifle. Apart from the weapons, they also operate two man subs, the Italian CE-2F/X100, for conducting covert underwater operations.
11. The MARCOS operations are the stuff of legends. Op Pawan in Sri Lanka, an operation to blow up the Jaffna jetty, saw MARCOS swim 12 kms to their target with their combat load in tow. They then slipped in without being detected and blew up the harbour with explosives. They were immediately fired upon by the LTTE. The commandos returned fire and managed to swim back to the ship without any casualties.
12. In 1988, the MARCOS, as a part of Op Cactus, thwarted an attempted coup in Maldives. They captured the boat with 46 mercenaries and their hostages that had escaped after the failed coup attempt. 13. During the Kargil War, the MARCOS were tasked to undertake covert operations behind enemy lines. During the Mumbai attacks in 2008, they stormed the Oberoi Trident and Taj hotels where the terrorists were killed.
14. Even the terrorists in Kashmir are scared of the MARCOS and refer to them as ‘Dadiwala Fauj’, thanks to the beards they wear as disguise. MARCOS is short for Marine Commandos. The force has gradually acquired experience and a reputation for professionalism over the three decades it has been in existence. The MARCOS are capable of undertaking operations in all types of terrain, but are specialised in maritime operations in Jammu and Kashmir through the Jhelum River and Wular Lake, a 65 square kilometre freshwater lake. Some MARCOS personnel are also attached with the Army special forces units conducting counter-terrorism operations in the area. MARCOS are widely feared among the terrorists, who call them "Dadiwala fauj",meaning the "Bearded army" because of their bearded disguise in civil areas.
The Indian Armed Forces wanted to establish an amphibious warfare and maritime special operations force. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Indian Navy supported the landing operations against the Pakistani base of Cox's Bazar, Operation Jackpot, landing an army brigade using Polnochny class landing ships without significant resistance. Before this operation, Indian navy divers provided basic training in underwater demolition to Bengali insurgents. However, this did not yield expected results. Later, different Indian army units were assigned amphibious roles in exercises. In 1983, the 340th Army Independent Brigade based at Trivandrum, was converted to an amphibious assault unit. Since then, the navy has conducted various exercises to demonstrate its amphibious abilities, notably the Andaman Islands in 1984, and Goa in 1986. These assault operations included both airborne and amphibious forces. In April 1986, the Indian Navy started planning for a maritime special force which could conduct amphibious reconnaissance, raids and counter-terrorist operations. The force was initially trained by the other special forces of the country, including those under the Home Ministry and the Army. Three officers were then sent to undergo a hard training schedule with US Navy SEALs and further training was then acquired through exchanges with the British Special Air Service. The officers formed the first nucleus of the Indian Marine Special Force (IMSF) which was officially established in February 1987. The first batch of marine commandos qualified in February 1987. It was later renamed as the Marine Commando Force (MCF) in 1991. Operational demonstration of the Indian Navy involving covert operations by the Marine Commandos!

 

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