Naval chief unveils joint doctrine for special forces Ops

New Delhi, Sept 30 (UNI) Chairman Chief of Staff Committee and the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta today formally unveiled the 'Joint Doctrine for Special Forces Operations', authored by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Doctrine Branch.

Besides bringing about synergy and cohesiveness amongst the three Services in future wars or conflicts, where Special Forces will play a dominant role be it strategic, operational or tactical, this latest (Special Forces) doctrine is in consonance with current global trends, according to the Defence Ministry.

While emphasising the need for providing timely, wholesome and accurate intelligence and fire support for the successful conduct of special operations, the doctrine highlights the importance of various aspects of joint training to achieve greater cohesion and understanding necessary for conducting joint special operations.

It also charts out the ideal command and control organisation necessary for Joint Special Forces tasking, joint planning aspects at theatre level, including operational, environmental and intelligence requirements, besides briefly covering aspects of detailed planning, conduct of rehearsals and integration of Special Forces in the overall theatre plans.

Lastly, the doctrine brings to light the organisational set-up and special characteristics of the Special Forces of the three Services -- Para Special Forces of the Army, the Marine Commandos or MARCOS of the Navy and the Garuds of the Air Force -- which make them ideally suited for varied role across the entire spectrum of conflict.

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