India ranks second in terms of active military personnel worldwide. How about the strength of its special forces?

India has the world's second-largest active military force, second only to China, and its overall military strength ranks fourth globally.

As a military power, India not only has a large conventional force but also several units with special operations capabilities.

While the elite status of these units is debatable, India is unparalleled in employing various tactics and methods in combat.

1. Indian Marine Commandos (MARCOS)

MARCOS, one of India's earliest special forces units, was established in 1987, modeled after the U.S. Navy SEALs. Despite their lackluster performance in the 2020 India-China conflict, they are exemplary in skydiving skills compared to other Indian special forces units.

The unit primarily operates through parachute insertion.

Unfortunately, on April 5, 2023, Lance Corporal Chandaka Govind died in a high-altitude jump training due to a malfunctioning main parachute and failure of the reserve parachute to deploy.

Another soldier, Kush Sharma, died on May 13 of the same year, entangled in high-tension wires during parachute training.

2. National Security Guard (NSG), "Black Cats"

The NSG, under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, is an anti-terrorism unit modeled after the British SAS and German GSG 9. Despite notable performances in events like the 2008 Mumbai attacks, they have also faced setbacks, such as the 2002 attack on the Akshardham Temple complex, where two operatives were killed due to a delay caused by traffic congestion.

3. Indian Army Para Commandos

The Para Commandos are a special forces unit of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment, specializing in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and special reconnaissance.

While they demonstrated some combat effectiveness in the 2020 India-China conflict, there were also casualties among their ranks.

4. Garud Commando Force

The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the Indian Air Force, established in 2003, tasked with protecting key Air Force installations and facilities.

Despite successful engagements against terrorists, they have also suffered losses.

While Indian special forces have demonstrated bravery on the battlefield, they have also exposed many weaknesses, possibly due to factors such as India's infrastructure and the operational environment.