NEW DELHI – Special units of the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy will nowcombine forces under Special Operations Division to meet with possiblethreats and carry out sensitive missions.

It is for the first time in India’s history that a Special OperationsDivision has been created which will see chosen personnel from all threearmed forces as its members. A battalion each from Indian Army’s ParaSpecial Forces, Navy’s Marcos (Marine Commandos) and Air Force’s GarudCommandos will now operate under this common umbrella. There would be 3000personnel in all and Major General AK Dhingra has been named as the firstGeneral Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Special Operations Division.

The headquarters of the Special Operations Division could be in Agra.

The proposal to have a common division between the Army, Air Force and Navywas approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Combined Commanders’Conference in Jodhpur in September of last year. Its need was feltconsidering the changing dynamics of modern warfare. The need for closercooperation between the three forces has been recognised as the next stepin meeting with security challenges facing India.

Established in 1966, Army’s Para Special Forces was an obvious choicebecause it is one of the most elite units and has nine battalions under it.Equally effective in their operations are the Marcos – founded in 1987 -whoare specially trained to deal with hostilities at sea or under water. TheGarud Commando Force, formed in 2004, also receives special training andare responsible for guarding key installations. Personnel in all three ofthese elite forces have to undergo gruelling training and are equipped withmodern and cutting-edge equipment.

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