MARCOS, is the Special Forces unit of the Indian Navy created for conducting special operations in a maritime environment. MARCOS or Marine Commandos has gradually acquired experience and a reputation for professionalism over the three decades it has been in existence.
Recently, a new naval base, INS Karna was commissioned as a MARCOS base and was wholly dedicated to the MARCOS for their training, which by any chance is not easy to get through.
So, here we bring you the facts that’ll make you bow to the MARCOS:
- The Marine Commandos are trained for operations on air, land and sea. Their prefix ‘Marine’ is just a formality as they are from the Navy. Yes, they are all-in-one commandos specializing from para jumping to sea diving.
- Training of MARCOS is harder than Para Commandos or any other Special Forces. This is well-proven by the fact that a MARCOS cadet went to the US Navy SEALS training and topped the course which has an attrition rate of 90% !
- The men who are selected to be MARCOS are amongst the fittest officers and sailors of the Indian Navy.
- They are selected when they are young, in the early 20s and have to go through a very stringent selection process and training. The training is a continuous process.
- They train along with the Special Forces officers of the Indian Army like the Para Commandos at the Commando Training School, in various other agencies and within the Navy.
- All MARCOS are hence qualified for a HAHO (High Altitude High Opening)/HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump.
- They are skilled combat divers and parachutists. Most of the training deals with counter-terrorist operations, also with anti-hijacking/piracy operations.
The training to be a MARCO:
- A 20-km run marks the beginning of everyday in a MARCO training. The next day is a 20-kilometer night treks with 60-kilo load. The routine follows on alternate days.
- There are no simulators or dummy cartridges in the training of MARCOS. The training is conducted with live ammunition and guns are always loaded. It leaves no chance of a friendly-fire!
- There are weekly 120-km walks with 60-kg backpacks.
- During the hell’s week there is continuous PHYSICAL training of over 20 hours per day with less than 4 hours to sleep! They are even made to run through thick mud of thigh levels with a 25-kg load. This is then followed by a 2.5-km gruelling obstacle course. Finally, after all the physical and mental drainage, they are supposed to shoot a target from 25 meters away with live ammo, but wait for it – there’s you co-cadet standing right beside it! That marks the end of hell’s week.
- Training is then followed over a two-year course for the selected candidates. It is said that by the end of training only 10 to 25 per cent of the soldiers make the mark.
MARCOS are known to be very secretive, not revealing their actual identity as specialised, elite soldiers. They are distributed amongst the naval bases of Mumbai, Kochi and Vizag.
Who knows? Maybe the person living in your neighbourhood or the one in your family itself is a MARCO? 😉
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