This was another action out of the blues! For the militants, it was the approaching chopper that sounded a death knell in the sky of Air Force Station, Rajaukri. Within seconds, the hawkish machine spotted the militants and quickly came down close to the parade ground where they were hiding in a hut. In no time, smart soldiers in combat dress came down slithering and took positions to cordon the militants. In the next few minutes, the whole operation was complete-two militants killed and rest neutralised. Good enough for an action-film this was a demonstration as part of the passing-out parade held from the first batch of IAF special force Garud.

The change in the security environment in the country in the past decade has witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks on military installations. Air Force stations at Srinagar, Awantipur and Guwahati had also been targets of terrorist attacks in the recent past. A need was felt to raise a specially trained force on the lines of special commando force of Indian Army and Marcos of Indian Navy to tackle the threats emanating from terrorist designs. As a measure, 100 fresh recruits were selected from Airmen Training School No. 1 Belgaum, Karnataka and brought to Garud Regimental Training Centre (GRTC), Gurgaon, Haryana. After a rigorous training for six months, 62 of them passed out. During the training, Garuds achieved high physical standards, extensive weapon handling skills, slithering techniques, demolition, search and destroy techniques and a high skill in combat, search and rescue operations. They were also trained at Para Troopers Training School, Agra and have undergone a Commando Course with ITBP. After passing out, they will further undergo an advanced phase of training that includes practices anti-hijacking, anti-terrorism and counter-insurgency, combat free-fall, jungle and snow survival techniques and advanced driving skills. After completion of advanced pahse, Garuds will be specialists in emergency response to became a quick reaction force to protect IAF assets. In coming times 15 flights of IAF commandos will be raised with a strength of 1080 soldiers.

The passing-out parade was reviewed by Air Marshal Narayan Menon, Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel, IAF and was witnessed by officials, media-persons and parents of the trainees.