Visakhapatnam turns Marine Commandos' base

Visakhapatnam: INS Karna, Indian Navy’s first dedicated base of its elite forces, Marine Commandos (Marcos), was commissioned by chief of naval staff Admiral Suresh Lanba at INS Kalinga on Tuesday. The Marcos base at Vizag will have 25 officers and 320 sailors who are trained to operate in all the dimensions of warfare — air, land and sea. Trained along the lines of the US Marine SEALs, the Marcos are the only special forces in the country who are capable of operating in all the three dimensions. They have already participated in operations combating terrorists and insurgencies.

The commissioning ev-ent commenced with an impressive parade, which was reviewed by the Ch-ief of Naval Staff. Eastern Naval Command (ENC) commander in chi-ef, Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht, addressed the ga-thering, which was followed by reading out of the Commissioning War-rant by Commanding Officer (designate), Captain Varun Singh. The ceremony was solemnised by an invocation in Sansk-rit. Ms Reena Lanba, wife of Admiral Sunil Lanba, unveiled the commissioning plaque and named the Special Forces Unit as INS Karna.

Conveying his best wishes to the newly commissioned unit, Admiral Lanba said that Marcos had established themselves as a special operations force of international repute in a short span and had won well deserved gallantry awards for their acts of courage and valor. “Over the years, the special force has conducted numerous independent missions of direct action, reconnaissance and surveillance, and recovery operations,” he said.

Need to Adopt innovative tactics: Lanba

Chief of Naval staff Admiral Suresh Lanba has urged navy personnel to adapt to changes in technology and tactics as the warfare is no more done on conventional lines.

The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) commander in-chief, vice-admiral HCS Bhisht, has said that the Marcos team has successfully been integrated with all the ships and units of the command. Talking to the team aft-er commissioning the unit, he emphasised the need for all marine commandos to keep their steel sharp and power dry as they would be the first ones to enter into the battle and hence the need to be “Mission Ready and a Winner” for all times.

“As the roles and responsibilities of the Indian Navy have expanded in the Indian Ocean region and beyond, the Special Operations Force would be required to be deployed in future combats at the strategic and operational level,” he said.