The NSG has ordered scrapping of the practice of holding separate induction courses for trainee commandos from army and paramilitary to raise a more lethal and "composite" squad of elite soldiers.
The National Security Guard (NSG), acronymed the 'black cats' and raised in 1984, will also now see trainees from the two forces sweating and dining together during the gruelling training sessions to forge a better camaraderie while on task.
Till now, the officers and men from the two forces used to have separate three-months induction courses upon joining,even lodging and meals done separately.
After the army or the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) depute some of their best personnel to the NSG, they have to undergo a specially drafted and strenuous Commando Conversion Course (CCC) at its garrison in Manesar near here before they are awarded the iconic commando badge to serve in the special force under the command of Union Home Ministry.
Scrapping the old decision, the new NSG Director General has recently ordered that henceforth, CCC for officers and men will be conducted commonly for army as well as CAPF personnel.
"If they (commandos) can work together, they can be trained together as well. Indeed that would be a step in the right direction," NSG DG S P Singh reasoned in a communication sent to all his strike formations (hubs) and force commanders.
"Keeping the above in view, I do not see any cogent and convincing reason for holding CCC for army and CAPFs personnel separately.
"The underlying mandate behind this federal contingency force was to induct the best men from army, CAPF and police organisations into NSG and forge them into the furnace for three months through a CCC wherein the strengths, skills and mindset are honed to form a formidable composite whole," the DG said in his communication, accessed by PTI.
The directions specifically mentions that the trainee commandos will now on "live and dine together."
These directions are meant to be "inculcated and implemented with immediate effect" as NSG's charter requires it's units to be on alert 24X7.
Officials privy to the blueprint prepared by the NSG in
this regard said that with growing challenges and the current scenario of global terrorism, it was essential to have good numbers of highly-trained commandos who can effectively undertake the first onslaught as part of their counter-terror and counter-hijack operations.
It is foreseen, they said, that in a situation where the NSG strike teams are required to respond at multiple places at one time during a terror attack, it will be essential to have a larger contingent of such strike and reserve commandos and hence it was necessary to prepare the men with same set of capabilities.
The 'black cat' commandos of the NSG are segregated into five units, two Special Action Groups (SAGs) manned by officers and jawans from the army and three SRGs (Special Rangers Groups) comprising personnel from paramilitary forces.
For years, the SAGs solely used to undertake counter- terror and counter-hijack operations while the SRGs used to render VVIP security duties.
But, recently, commandos of the two units have been made to amalgamate for operations keeping in mind the emerging terror threat scenario as witnessed during the 2008 Mumbai attacks or the last year's Pathankot air base attack, where multiple terrorists and large holed up area posed challenge for the teams on ground.
The action plan prepared to merge the CCC for the two security arms of the country explains the need to change existing procedures: "The creation of NSG envisaged a unique structure of a combined synergistic action wherever members of army, CAPFs and state police melt their distinctions into a united focused action.
"Such bonding and camaraderie is unique in annals of security forces and stands testimony to the ability of all thin the NSG to work united irrespective of their individual backgrounds or the parent organisations," it said.
