Thread: Pics of Indian Army regimental enlisted bootcamp

Hi all, sorry for the long delay

Here are some more pics from some interesting Indian formations: this time India's Tibetan Troops of the Special Frontier Force and the Ladakh Scouts.

While Tibetan troops have historically always fought as Indian soldiers (records of the hardiness of Tibetan troops goes as far back as the Mahabharat War), they have long been considered taboo to talk about in modern India, lest their very existence be viewed as provocation. It's indeed ironic that considering that Tibetans and Ladakhis are amongst India's most patriotic peoples (Tibetan and Ladakhi per capita participation in the Indian military and security forces even exceed that of India's Gorkhas, with each family typically having two members actively serving.)

However, perhaps due to the visibility of their success in the Kargil conflict and a seachange in the way modern India looks at itself, India's Tibetan troops, glories, service and war honors are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

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The first set of photos is of the the very highly trained Special Frontier Force (SFF). The SFF is by far India's most secretive and one of her most elite commando units -- and is also India's most interesting unit as its comprised almost entirely of ethnic Tibetans (including those descended from Tibetan refugee populations as well as India's own ethnic Tibetan ethnic groups from Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as those descended from refugee populations and mountain peoples from Nepal and Bhutan.)

It was conceived in the post Sino-Indian war period as a guerrilla force whose main goals was to conduct covert special operations behind Chinese lines, reconnaissance against the Chinese occupying forces in Tibet, aiding in the safe exit and exile of Tibetans and close protection of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile.

The SFF is not a military formation, but is under the Research and Analysis Wing, the Indian version of the CIA. However, the SFF works trains and works closely with military and other federal special operations groups, and undergo training for commando parachute and can also train for combat diving qualifications.

Since the 1980s, units of the SFF have also been tasked with counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering on China and Pakistan, and combat air control.

Below are amongst the only pics ever released of India's most secretive unit.

SFF Badge:



SFF Commandos participating in the liberation of Bangladesh during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, where they conducted successful operations with astonishing effect. The SFF weren't ordered to participate in what the Indian government viewed as a foreign war to them, but upon Prime Minister Gandhi's request voluntarily and formally took up arms both to as a show of thanks to India which had recently sheltered the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama, and to liberate the Bengalis of West Pakistan whose situation was regarded as analogous to the plight of Tibetans under China:






A historic photo of a SFF Dapon ("Major" in Tibetan):



The following are amongst the only modern pics from the 13,000 strong unit. The troops are amongst the best equipped and trained in India (an example being they were the first troops to receive Tavor rifles):





SFF mountaineering skills are legendary, and SFF troops have participated in many Indian mountaineering expeditions:


Several maroon beret-wearing SFF troops (as well as troops from the Parachute Regiment, who lack the distinct SFF crest) can be seen in this picture of an Indian expedition to Everest:

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The second unit is that of the Ladakh Scouts Indian Army regiment. Known as the Snow Warriors or Lama Fauj ("army of the Lamas"), it is India's newest infantry regiment but amongst the most highly decorated.

Raised as a local pathfinder and border defense unit following the India-China war, it distinguished itself in the Indo-Pak wars. Its achievements and glories in the 1999 Kargil were so outstanding that the Ladakh Scouts were promoted to a full Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army, now boasting more than 300 gallantry awards including one Ashok Chakra, ten Mahavir Chakras, four Vir Chakra, two Kirti Chakras, three Sena Medals and one Chief of Army Staff's Banner.

The Ladakh Scouts distinguished themselves in the Kargil War. The second photo is of popular war hero and Mahavir Chakra awardee Major Sonam Wangchuck and his famous troops of Indus Wing (battalion), Ladakh Scouts:





The Ladakh Scouts underwent much expansion when they became a regiment, and now is the primary employer of the Ladakhi people, though many Gorkhas also serve in their ranks. Below, Ladakh Scouts Nonus (or "brothers" in Ladakhi) as they are affectionately known as in the Indian Army, practicing drill in 2000 after they had recently became India's juniormost regiment. In this picture, note the Ladakh Scouts regimental insignia, the Urial, native to the Himalayan mountains:





Ladakh Scouts Jawans, hailing from the highest place on earth, naturally make amongst the worlds finest mountain troops and make up a significant deployment to Siachen Glacier:




A portrait of Havaldar Cherring Muthup of the Ladakh Scouts who awarded the Ashoka Chakra for an action on the Siachen Glacier that remains classified to this day:



They are equipped and trained to be India's first line of defense against China in the Western Sector, often charged with guarding the mountain passes in Leh and Ladakh:





Troops paying homage to fallen comrades at Ladakh Scouts Regimental Center:



A Ladakh Scouts Ghatak (commando) platoon. Ghatak platoons are elite commando platoons attached to each infantry battalion of the Indian Army:





Well, that's all for now. I'll post some more pics later.

Cheers,
Raj