How prepared are India-Pakistan to carry out surgical attacks against each other?

Indian Army commandos went kilometres inside PoK and demolished seven terror launch pads and transit camps of militants — all reportedly within two to three kilometre of the Line of Control (LoC). The surgical strikes were carried out in Bhimber, Hotspring, Tattapani, Kel and Lipa sectors on Pakistan's side of the LoC. The other side too has a similar commando force - the SSG - and rates them the best in world. If Pakistan carries out similar surgical strikes in India, the question is whether we will be able to avert or minimise the damage.

Let's compare the armed commandoes on either side:

Para Commandos, India

Formed on July 1, 1966, the para commandos are the other side of the coin of the highly-trained Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army.

In the Indian context, the term special forces is used almost exclusively for a handful of battalions of the para-regiment. The first para commando battalion was raised in 1966, and, by 1968, it was split into two — 9 Para (Special Forces) and 10 Para. “9 Para was meant for Jammu and Kashmir whereas 10 Para was meant for border operations in Rajasthan,” says colonel (retd) K.D. Pathak, a 1971 war veteran and an ex-para himself.

The first test of the Para special forces came with Operation Mandhol in the western sector during the 1971 war over Bangladesh. Pakistan had artillery guns positioned near Mandhol village in Poonch and 9 Para were tasked with a stealth mission to destroy them. Pathak, then a young captain, was part of a team of around 100 men that carried out the operation, completing it in less than 24 hours.

The 2015 Myanmar operation was carried out by 21 Special Forces, set up in the 1990s from the 21st battalion of the Maratha regiment.

Training

The initial training to be a special forces operator is 3.5 years, the longest anywhere but the training is also a continuous process; in the special forces, the members are imparted both basic and advance training. They are taught a specialised mode of infiltration and exfiltration - either by air (combat freefall) or sea (combat diving). These para commandos are trained for land, air and water.

Para commandos are one of the best trained special forces of the Indian Army. Because of the extremely fatal nature of the operations they perform, they are kept at an optimum level of operational efficiency and physical fitness, and only the most physically fit, mentally robust, intelligent, and highly motivated soldiers are inducted in the fleet.

Para commandos go through the most gruelling commando training regimes in the world, apart from their daily 20km run with 60km baggage and man-to-man assault practices; they even have to free-fall from belligerent heights as high as 33,500 feet.

They are also highly trained in terrain and environment warfare and deep-sea diving.

Their daily routine begins with a 20km morning run. They are equipped for infiltration, exfiltration, assault, room and building intervention, intelligence gathering, patrolling, ambush tactics, counter-ambush tactis, counter insurgency, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, asymmetric warfare, raids and sabotage, martial arts training, tactical shooting, stress firing, reflex shooting, buddy system drills, close quarter battle, tactical driving, advance weapon courses and handling, sniping, demolition training, survival skills, linguistic training, logistic training, and trade-craft training.

Equipment

The para commandos are being trained with almost every type of infantry weapon required for particular missions: from high-end automatic pistols to assault rifles.

SSG, PAKISTAN

The SSG is equivalent to the Indian Para Special Forces. Its motto is "Fear is no policy and surrender is no option." The SSG, also called Black Storks, is meant for special operations mostly along the India-Pakistan border and even outside Pakistan. They boast of success in the 1999 Kargil conflict, besides the Afghan operations, and the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

The SSG commandos wear maroon berets, much like the Indian Special Forces, and black outfits. They carry out special surgical operations based on intelligence inputs. Under its charter, the force specialises in asymmetric and unconventional warfare, foreign internal defence, counter-terrorism, special operations and direct action.

The SSG is an elite special operations force . It is better known in the country as the "black storks" due to the commandos' unique headgear and training reportedly includes a 36-mile march in 12 hours and a five-mile run in 20 minutes in full gear.

One of Pakistan's most lethal special operations forces, the Special Services Group (SSG) boasts of combat experiences in Yemen, India, and Afghanistan. In 2010, 300 commandos of the SSG assisted Saudi Arabia and Yemen in combating the Houthi rebels in the region. In October 2009, SSG commandos stormed an office building and rescued 39 people taken hostage by suspected Taliban militants after an attack on the army's headquarters.

SSG(N), PAKISTAN

The Special Service Group Navy of Pakistan performs some of the country’s most secret missions. The members of the group are regularly sent to the US Navy SEALs for training. With a dropout rate of 80-90 percent, the group has one of the most stringent training routines in the world.

Training

SSG officers must have at least two years of prior military experience and volunteer from other formations for two-year assignments with the SSG. Trainees must participate in a nine-month SSG course at Cherat.

The SSG course emphasises physical conditioning, including a 50-mile march in 14 hours and a 12-mile run in under 1 hr 50 minutes in full gear; trainees must go through the airborne training. The course lasts four weeks, with wings awarded after five day-jumps and three night-jumps. After the completion of the basic commando course, the newly inducted commandos go for advanced commando training, which lasts an additional 25 weeks.

SSG recruits get trained in hand-to-hand combat training and very hard physical fitness training; only about five percent of the recruits make it through to the Pakistan SSG due to the very tough training. They are being given Mountain Warfare, Combat Diver training and sky driving too.

Other areas of the commando training include internal security, assault and small unit tactics, sniping, small arms familiarisation, Fighting In Built Up Areas (FIBUA), Close Quarter Battle tactics (CQB), Long Range Recce Patrol (LRRP), Martial arts, espionage, psychoanalytic training, et al .

Equipment

The SSG has equipped itself with the latest and most advanced weapons. It has a wide arsenal to suit its needs. It includes the famed Heckler and Koch submachine guns, sniper weapons, G3s, Finnish Tikka bolt actions. Pistols in use are Austrian 9mm Glock 15, the Berretta M9 (M92F), the SIG Pro 226 apart from the latest FN-Herstal P90 SMG - reserved for very high-risk applications.

Though the Pakistan SSG takes pride in its operations, what happened in Kargil shows that the Indian side is better motivated in a crunch situation. While it is almost impossible to prevent special strike groups, a well prepared and well-entrenched formation can minimise the risks and casualties during a stand-off.