Armed Forces Special Operations Division

The Naresh Chandra Task Force was set up in July 2011 by National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon to review the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee, assess the implementation progress and further suggest new reforms related to national security.[5][6] The task force was led by Naresh Chandra, retired Indian Administrative Service officer, and comprised 13 other members, including Gopalaswami Parthasarathy, Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy (Retd), Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd), Lieutenant General V. R. Raghavan (Retd), Anil Kakodkar, K. C. Verma and V. K. Duggal. The committee conducted the first holistic review of national security since the Kargil Review Committee and submitted its classified report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 23 May 2012.[7] Among its recommendations, the Task Force recommended the creation of a cyber command, an aerospace command and a special operations command. All three units were proposed to be tri-service commands in order to bring the various special forces units of the military under a unified command and control structure.[8][9] The AFSOD is a downsized implementation of this proposal.[1]

The creation of the AFSOD was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Combined Commanders' Conference at Jodhpur Air Force Station on 28 September 2018.[10]

The division concluded its first exercise, code named 'Smelling Field', on 28 September 2019.[11] The exercise was carried out in the district of Kutch in the state of Gujarat.[12] The exercise was meant to help in ironing out, and subsequently addressing the challenges faced by the division.[13]

A second exercise, code named 'DANX-2019', was subsequently held in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[14]

The AFSOD is expected to serve as the main organisation responsible for carrying out special operations within and outside India.[2] They are expected to carry out missions such as targeting high-value installations and degrading the war-fighting capabilities of hostile nations.[15] The rationale behind the creation of this division is to pool the special abilities of each of the special forces units of the Armed Forces and enable them to operate together.[16][1] The division will also help in reducing operational costs, since it will enable each of the special warfare units to utilise common equipment.[11]

The division is expected to have around 3,000 soldiers, though the exact number remains classified.[17] The main components of the AFSOD are:[3]

• Para (Special Forces): The Para SF is the special warfare branch of the Indian Army. They will form a major portion of the AFSOD.[18]

• MARCOS: The MARCOS is the special warfare branch of the Indian Navy. It is specialised in operations in a maritime environment, although it can operate in all environments.[19]

• Garud Commando Force: The Garud Commando Force is the special warfare branch of the Indian Air Force. They are tasked to undertake missions in support of air operations. They are deployed at important military bases and assets and conduct search and rescue missions during wartime.[20][21]

• Other systems: The division will be given operational control of transport aircraft, specialised weapon systems and surveillance equipment.[18]

On 24 November 2019, the AFSOD was operationally deployed for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir to conduct counter-insurgency operations in the region.[22][14]