Ghatak Force
Encyclopedia
Ghatak Units, or Ghatak Commandos, are elite infantry
platoon
s attached to each infantry
battalion
of the Indian Army
. There is one platoon of these soldiers in every battalion. Ghatak literally means "Killer" or "Lethal" in Hindi
.
and conduct assaults against enemy positions, with or without support from the rest of the battalion. Their objectives range from short range reconnaissance
, combat patrol
, search and destroy missions, ambushes, designating targets for artillery and air raids to contact skirmishing, destruction of enemy machine gun nests, artillery posts, urban strongholds and bunker
s. During the Kargil War
, Ghatak Forces led the assaults on enemy units to retake the mountain peaks.
These units act in furthering the tactical and strategic objectives of the battalion. Therefore, their missions are set at the discretion of the battalion commander.
s and some special teams like sharpshooter / marksman
and spotter
pairs, light machine gunners
and radio operator The remaining soldiers act as assault troopers.
, Karnataka
. Often, other specialized training like heliborne assault, rock climbing, mountain warfare
, demolitions, advanced weapons training, close quarter battle and infantry tactics are also given. Certain units and operators are sent to Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School
school as well. However, most of them are not parachute
qualified or trained in special warfare.
as their primary assault rifle. The marksmen are equipped with the Vidhwansak
Dragunov SVD rifle and Heckler & Koch
MSG-90 sniper rifles. They wear standard issue camouflage and body armour, and also the Commando
patch on their shoulder once they have finished their training. Depending on the mission, they may carry other items like ropes, climbing gear, grenades, rocket launchers, laser target designators and night vision equipment.
Currently, the Indian Army
is upgrading the equipment of these units by procuring lighter body armour, personal communication sets, anti-materiel rifle
s and various other mission specific equipment.
in the Kargil War
, for which he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra
.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
s attached to each infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. There is one platoon of these soldiers in every battalion. Ghatak literally means "Killer" or "Lethal" in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
.
Role
Their role is to act as shock troopsShock troops
Shock troops or assault troops are formations created to lead an attack. "Shock troop" is a loose translation of the German word Stoßtrupp...
and conduct assaults against enemy positions, with or without support from the rest of the battalion. Their objectives range from short range reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
, combat patrol
Patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...
, search and destroy missions, ambushes, designating targets for artillery and air raids to contact skirmishing, destruction of enemy machine gun nests, artillery posts, urban strongholds and bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
s. During the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
, Ghatak Forces led the assaults on enemy units to retake the mountain peaks.
These units act in furthering the tactical and strategic objectives of the battalion. Therefore, their missions are set at the discretion of the battalion commander.
Unit composition
A Ghatak Platoon is usually 20-men strong, consisting of a commanding Captain, 2 non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s and some special teams like sharpshooter / marksman
Marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
and spotter
Spotter
A spotter is someone trained to look for something. The term has the following special meanings.*Weather spotter, an individual who observes the weather to inform other groups.*Storm spotter, a weather spotter who observes specific weather events....
pairs, light machine gunners
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
and radio operator The remaining soldiers act as assault troopers.
Training
These soldiers go through the Commando Training Course in BelgaumBelgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Often, other specialized training like heliborne assault, rock climbing, mountain warfare
Mountain warfare
Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains...
, demolitions, advanced weapons training, close quarter battle and infantry tactics are also given. Certain units and operators are sent to Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School
Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School
The Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairengte, Mizoram, India is a training and research establishment of the Indian Army specializing in unconventional warfare, especially counter-insurgency and guerrilla warfare. CIJW is one of the premier counter-insurgency training institutions...
school as well. However, most of them are not parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
qualified or trained in special warfare.
Equipment
The unit is equipped with the Tavor TAR-21, INSAS or a version of the AK-47AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
as their primary assault rifle. The marksmen are equipped with the Vidhwansak
Vidhwansak
Vidhwansak is an Indian multi-caliber anti-material rifle or large-caliber sniper rifle manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Tiruchirapalli. It can be used in the anti-materiel role for destroying enemy bunkers, lightly armoured vehicles, radar systems, communication equipment, parked aircraft, fuel...
Dragunov SVD rifle and Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
MSG-90 sniper rifles. They wear standard issue camouflage and body armour, and also the Commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
patch on their shoulder once they have finished their training. Depending on the mission, they may carry other items like ropes, climbing gear, grenades, rocket launchers, laser target designators and night vision equipment.
Currently, the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
is upgrading the equipment of these units by procuring lighter body armour, personal communication sets, anti-materiel rifle
Anti-materiel rifle
An anti-materiel rifle is a rifle that is designed for use against military equipment rather than against other combatants ....
s and various other mission specific equipment.
Honours
Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav of 18 Grenadiers was a part of the Ghatak Commando platoon during the action on Tiger HillTiger Hill
Tiger Hill may mean*Tiger Hill, Suzhou at Suzhou in People's Republic of China*Tiger Hill, Darjeeling at Darjeeling in India*Tiger Hill, Fraserburgh a large sand dune in Fraserburgh.*Tiger Hill, Kargil near the Kargil region of Indian-Kashmir...
in the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
, for which he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
.
See also
- Para Commandos
- Marine Commando ForceMARCOS (India)MARCOS is an elite special operations unit of the Indian Navy. "MARCOS" is short for "Marine Commandos"....
- Garud CommandosGarud Commando ForceThe Garud Commando Force is the Special Forces unit of the Indian Air Force. It was formed in September 2004 and has a strength of approximately 2000 personnel...
- National Security GuardsNational Security GuardsThe National Security Guard is a Special Response Unit in India that has primarily been utilized for counter-terrorism activities and was created by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of the Indian Parliament in 1986...
- Special Forces of IndiaSpecial Forces of IndiaThe Special Forces of India are Indian Military units that have a training specializing in special operations.-Mumbai Police Force One:the Special Commando force created after 26/11 Mumbai attacks-Rajasthan Police SOG:...
- COBRACommando Battalion for Resolute ActionCOBRA is a specialized unit of the CRPF created to counter the Naxalite problem in India. This specialized CRPF unit is one of the only units of the Central Armed Police Forces in the country who are specifically trained in guerilla warfare...