Ghatak Force

Ghatak Units, or Ghatak Commandos, are elite infantry platoons attached to each infantry battalion of the Indian Army. There is one platoon of these soldiers in a battalion. Ghatak literally means "Lethal" or "Striker" in Hindi.

Role

Their role is to act as shock troops, spearheading assaults against enemy positions, with or without support from rest of the battalion. These objectives may range from machine gun posts, bunkers, urban strongholds or mountain peaks, as was their role during the Kargil War (1999).

Unit composition

A Ghatak Unit is usually 18-men strong, consisting of a Commanding Captain, 2 non-commissioned officers, and some special teams like sniper and spotter pairs, light machine gunners, radio operators, or flamethrower troopers. The remaining soldiers act as assault troopers.

Training

These soldiers go through the Commando Training Course in Belgaum, Karnataka. Often, other specialized training like rock climbing, advanced weapons training, close quarter battle and infantry tactics are also given. However, most of them are not parachute qualified or trained in special warfare.

ee also

The Para Commandos, Marine Commandos, Garud Commandos and National Security Guards fulfill the Special Forces roles on a national level.