Special Frontier Force
| Special Frontier Force विशेष सीमांत बल |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 14 November 1962 |
| Country | India |
| Type | Paramilitary, Special forces |
| Role |
Special reconnaissance Direct action Hostage rescue Counter-terrorism Unconventional warfare Foreign Internal Defence Covert Operations |
| Size | 10,000 active personnel |
| Part of | R&AW |
| Headquarters | Chakrata, Uttarakhand, India |
| Engagements |
Bangladesh Liberation War Operation Blue Star Operation Cactus Operation Pawan Kargil War Operation Rakshak |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter |
HAL Cheetah HAL Lancer |
| Cargo helicopter | Mi-17V-5 |
| Utility helicopter |
HAL Dhruv HAL Chetak |
| Reconnaissance |
IAI Searcher II IAI Heron DRDO Rustom |
| Transport |
Gulfstream III IAI Astra 1125 |
The Special Frontier Force (SFF) is a paramilitary special force of India created on 14 November 1962. Its main goal originally was to conduct covert operations behind Chinese lines in the event of another Sino-Indian War.
The SFF came to be known as 'Establishment 22' due to its first Inspector General, Major General Sujan Singh Uban (Retd.) of Indian Army, who used to be commander of 22 Mountain Regiment during World War II, a Military Cross holder and a legendary figure in the British India Army. Singh commanded the 22nd Mountain Regiment during World War II in Europe and a Long Range Desert Squadron (LRDS) in North Africa.
Based in Chakrata, Uttarakhand, the force was put under the direct supervision of the Intelligence Bureau, and later, the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Ethnic Tibetans have been a part and parcel of the modern Indian Army for as long as it has existed. Independent formations of Tibetan (including Ladakhi, Bön, and Sikkimese) units were to patrol and police the lands they were native to. During the time of the Great Game, the British Indian Army began to employ Tibetans as spies, intelligence agents, and even covert militia in northern India and Tibet proper.
At the time of Indian independence, the Northern Mountain covered region of India remained the most isolated and strategically overlooked territory of the subcontinent. During the 1950s, the American Central Intelligence Agency and the Indian Intelligence Bureau established Mustang Base in Mustang in Nepal, which trained Tibetans in guerilla warfare. The Mustang rebels brought the 14th Dalai Lama to India during the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion.
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Wikipedia