A Marine Commando with the MP5 submachine gun.

MARCOS (also known as Marine Commando Force [MCF]) is an elite special operations unit of the Indian Navy. "MARCOS" is short for "Marine Commandos", and MCF is an acronym for "Marine Commando Force". Image File history File links Marine_Commando_photo. ... Image File history File links Marine_Commando_photo. ... The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a family of closed bolt submachine guns developed by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in the 1960s. ... The MP5, a famous submachine gun, sees widespread use amongst those that can afford it. ... India has the following Special Forces: 1 Para Commando 2 Para Commando 9 Para Commando 10 Para Commando These are Indian Army Special Forces units and are trained to work in extreme climates and conditions behind enemy lines. ... The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. ...

Origins

Along with the Para Commandos of the Indian Army, they are considered to be among the best elite special forces in the world. The initial MARCOS group was planned along with the establishment of the NSG counter-terrorism unit in 1986. The first unit was called the Indian Marine Special Force, and was later renamed as Marine Commando Force (MCF) in 1991. National Security Guards (NSG), is a counter terrorism unit of India, raised by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of 1985. ... Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In military science, the term commando can refer to an individual, a military unit or a raiding style of military operation. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

They are also locally known as the Dadiwali Fauj (Hindi: Bearded Army) since they are the only unit of the Indian armed forces that permits non-Sikh recruits to maintain beards. Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी or हिंदी; IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu...

Strength and operations

MCF currently has a strength of 2,000 personnel.

Operations undertaken:

• Operation Pawan (Hindi: Wind): part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka in 1988.
• Operation Cactus: part of Indian Navy contingent defending the democratic government of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives from a coup.

Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी or हिंदी; IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu... Location of Sri Lanka Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation that was formed to oversee the peace accord signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1987, trying to solve the conflict between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Sri Lankan armed forces. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An Indian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft that was used to paradrop Indian troops in Male. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...

Training and activities

Candidates undergo a two-year training regime, which has an attrition rate of almost 50%. In addition to parachute training and diving they are also taught jungle and high-altitude warfare in India's Northeastern states. Training has been adapted from American SEALs and British Royal Marines Commandos and the training is considered more rigorous than any standard Indian Army unit and even better than their Western counterparts. Scuba divers exploring fish and coral. ... Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia Jungle usually refers to a dense forest in a hot climate, such as a tropical rainforest. ... Navy seals redirects here. ... 3 Commando Brigade is the main manoeuvre force of the British Royal Marines. ...

Some MCF operations are also known to be very similar to those of the Israeli undercover special warfare units called Mistaravim (Hebrew: "Those who pretend to be Arabs"). Hebrew redirects here. ...

During 2003 the MCF participated in training exercises called Exercise Balance Iroquois 03-1/Vajra Prahar, with American Special Operations Forces in Mizoram ^[1]. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the United States Department of Defense lists the U.S. military units that have a training specialisation in unconventional warfare and special operations. ... Mizoram (Hindi: िमज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ...

During September 2005, the MCF participated in the joint US/Indian naval exercises called "Malabar 05".[2] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bases

The MCF currently operates out of the naval bases at Mumbai INS Abhimanyu, Kochi, and Visakhapatnam. Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई, IPA: ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, the most populous city of India, and by some measures the most populous city in the world with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006). ... Kochi (Malayalam: കൊച്ചി []), formerly known as Cochin, is the largest city in the state of Kerala, India, and one of the principal seaports in the country. ... Visakhapatnam   (also Viśākhapaá¹­á¹­anamu, shortened and anglicized: Vizag or Vizagapatnam) is a port city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ...

Plans are underway to set up a commando training facility for amphibious operations at the naval academy in Goa on the lines of the Indian Army's Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Warangte, Mizoram. The Naval Academy is eventually to be shifted to Ezhimala in northern Kerala.[3] For other uses, see Goa (disambiguation). ... The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ... Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) is considered one of the worlds most prestigious anti-terrorist institutions established in 1970 to impart Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare training for the Indian Army. ... Mizoram (Hindi: िमज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ...   (IPA: ; , Written as േകരളം in the native language Malayalam) is a state on the Western Coast of south-western India. ...

Equipment

• Guns: AK-47, Colt M16A1, HK MP5 sub-machine gun, INSAS 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm SLR assault rifle
• Transport: H-3 Sea King and Chetak helicopters, Cosmos CE-2F/X100 two-man submarines

Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... M16 (more formally United States Rifle, Caliber 5. ... The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a family of closed bolt submachine guns developed by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in the 1960s. ... INSAS weapons INSAS stands for Indian Small Arms System. ... A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that, each time the trigger is pulled, fires a single bullet without the need to operate a bolt or other firing or loading mechanism other than the trigger, until the firearms supply of cartridges is depleted. ... US Navy Sea King Several UH-3 Sea Kings taking off The Sikorsky UH-3 Sea King (also known as Sikorsky S-61) is a twin-engined multi-purpose helicopter. ... Chetak is the name of legendary horse of Rana Pratap Singh that saved him in a gruesome and bloody battle at Haldi Ghati,in June 21,1576, between Rana Prataps forces and Mughal forces, which were led by Raja Man Singh and Akbars son Salim (aka Jahangir). ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors consisting of two or more rotor blades. ... German UC-1 class World War I submarine A model of Günther Priens Unterseeboot 47 (U-47), German WWII Type VII diesel-electric hunter Typhoon class nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate...

References

• De Lionis, Andres. "Marine Commandos: India's Flexible Elite", Jane's Intelligence Review, 8:230-232, May 1996
• "Naval marine commandos bag gallantry awards for operations against ultras", Indian Express, March 10, 2000
• Bharat Rakshak, an Indian defence analysis website