Marcos commandos begin counter-terror training on east coast
The elite marine commandos of the Indian Navy, better known as the marcos, are getting ready for urban warfare. They have begun practising their moves on 3D virtual models of offshore installations to ensure a swift response during a terrorist attack.
During the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, lack of information about the layout of the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, one of the key targets of the attacks, had put security forces in a bind. Having burnt their fingers once, the marcos are now sweating it out during peacetime to be well-versed of the site plans of offshore installations on the eastern coast of the country.
"The security of offshore installations is the navy's responsibility. And with the possibility of non-state actors attacking them rising, we are leaving no stone unturned to be combat-ready," said a senior officer of the Indian Navy on condition of anonymity.
The marine commandos are undergoing regular training sessions in this computer-generated programme to be well-prepared for a strike similar to 26/11.
"We require regular training sessions but every time we cannot shut down the facilities for this as it would result in loss of man hours and hamper energy supply. To resolve this Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has provided for a virtual model of its facility in Krishna-Godavari basin in the east," a marine commando at INS Kalinga, the training base for marcos in Visakhapatnam, told Financial World.
The Krishna-Godavari basin spreads across more than 50,000 square kilometers on the Andhra Pradesh coast. The site where RIL discovered the countries biggest gas reserves, in 2002 is crucial for India's energy security.
The marine commandos have three main groups attached to the three naval commands - Mumbai (west), Cochin (south) and Visakhapatnam (east). The training module has begun in the east and is likely to be replicated in the other commands.
"Our counter-terrorism doctrine is to 'fight a militant like a militant'. So far we have been active in Jammu and Kashmir and in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. But with the changing security scenario, it is imperative for us to factor in the urban warfare scenario in our operations," the Indian Navy officer added.
The elite marine commandos of the Indian Navy, better known as the marcos, are getting ready for urban warfare. They have begun practising their moves on 3D virtual models of offshore installations to ensure a swift response during a terrorist attack.
During the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, lack of information about the layout of the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, one of the key targets of the attacks, had put security forces in a bind. Having burnt their fingers once, the marcos are now sweating it out during peacetime to be well-versed of the site plans of offshore installations on the eastern coast of the country.
"The security of offshore installations is the navy's responsibility. And with the possibility of non-state actors attacking them rising, we are leaving no stone unturned to be combat-ready," said a senior officer of the Indian Navy on condition of anonymity.
The marine commandos are undergoing regular training sessions in this computer-generated programme to be well-prepared for a strike similar to 26/11.
"We require regular training sessions but every time we cannot shut down the facilities for this as it would result in loss of man hours and hamper energy supply. To resolve this Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has provided for a virtual model of its facility in Krishna-Godavari basin in the east," a marine commando at INS Kalinga, the training base for marcos in Visakhapatnam, told Financial World.
The Krishna-Godavari basin spreads across more than 50,000 square kilometers on the Andhra Pradesh coast. The site where RIL discovered the countries biggest gas reserves, in 2002 is crucial for India's energy security.
The marine commandos have three main groups attached to the three naval commands - Mumbai (west), Cochin (south) and Visakhapatnam (east). The training module has begun in the east and is likely to be replicated in the other commands.
"Our counter-terrorism doctrine is to 'fight a militant like a militant'. So far we have been active in Jammu and Kashmir and in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. But with the changing security scenario, it is imperative for us to factor in the urban warfare scenario in our operations," the Indian Navy officer added.
