Why in News?
The IAF (Indian Air Force) held a high-profile Maroon Beret Ceremonial Parade on May 23, 2026, at the Garud Regimental Training Centre (GRTC) in Chandinagar, Uttar Pradesh, marking the induction of a newly trained batch of commandos.
Core Specifications of the Force
- Establishment: Formally raised in September 2004 following a critical assessment of airfield vulnerabilities to terrorist strikes.
- Motto: "Defend, Secure, Protect".
- Strength: Operating with an estimated personnel size of 1,000 to 1,500 active commandos.
- Equivalent Counterparts: Operates as the IAF equivalent to the Indian Army’s Para (SF) and the Indian Navy’s MARCOS.
Strategic Mandate & Core Responsibilities
- Airfield Defence: Guarding high-value IAF installations, airbases, and strategic military assets against cross-border incursions.
- Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR): Executing rescue sweeps deep within hostile, contested zones to recover downed military pilots.
- Counter-Terrorism & SEAD: Conducting Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD), hostage rescue, and deep radar destruction missions behind enemy borders.
- Disaster Response: Rendering advanced assistance during national calamities or civil crises.
Training & Weapons Arsenal
- Gruelling Training Pipeline: Candidates undergo a rigorous 72-week base course at the Garud Regimental Training Centre, which is widely regarded as one of the longest and toughest special forces selections in India.
- Weaponry Ecosystem: Equipped with cutting-edge firearms, including the Sig Sauer assault rifles, Israeli Tavor TAR-21 variants, Negev Light Machine Guns (LMGs), and Galil sniper rifles.
- Airborne Skills: Personnel are cross-trained in extreme sub-zero mountain survival, advanced combat martial arts, and high-altitude military parachuting.
Major Operational Achievements
- Operation Raksh / Rakh Hajin (J&K): A highly successful counter-insurgency operation in Kashmir where Garud commandos eliminated top terrorist networks. This operation earned Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala the Ashok Chakra posthumously.
- Pathankot Air Base Attack (2016): Garud commandos served as the frontline line of defence to interdict terrorists and neutralize threat perimeters during the airbase strike.
- Frontline LAC Deployment: Since the geopolitical shifts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020, Garuds remain deployed on high-altitude peaks stretching from Eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh to defend Indian airspace using Igla air defence systems.
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