NSG Commandos are like the nukes, the ultimate backup to the country and fear imbibed in the hearts of terrorists.
Remember the Mumbai attacks 26/11 or Pathankot attacks? Even when MARCOS and other elite Indian special forces were already present at both the sites, it was NSG that eventually took charge of the situation and neutralized the terrorists. NSG or National Security Guard is a special force unit under the ministry of Home Affairs India established in 1984 after Operation Blue Star . It is a specialized counter terrorism force intended to be used only in exceptional and extremely dangerous situation only after the state or Para Military forces fail to deliver the results. NSG have shown extraordinary courage in times of fear and hours of need. Here are some amazing facts about NSG you must know.
Black CatsNSG Commandos are named as ‘Black Cats’ after the Cat family which is the sharpest of all the animals and extremely focused, among them the black cat is the one whose one look imbibe fear into the hearts of others. You never mess with them,ever. So would be the thought behind designing NSG pitch black uniform from head to toe. Like we fear the terrorists, the terrorists fear the NSG. Can we ever stop being in awe with these Men in Uniforms flaunting black all over?
National Security guard Motto is to provide best of security to safeguard the borders and countrymen. सर्वत्र सर्वोत्तम सुरक्षा ( Omnipresent Omnipotent Defense) which is taken from Sanskrit language
When Indian Airline flight IC 814 was hijacked on 24 December 1999, there happened a major goof up regarding the NSG Commandos landing at the Amritsar Airport from New Delhi and the same happened during Mumbai attacks when NSG Commandos arrived several hours late which costed a lot to the country and human lives. So now there are total of five NSG regional hubs in the country with the newest NSG hub installed in Gujarat (Randesan village in Gandhinagar) after Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai with its headquarter based in New Delhi. 
The 14,500 personnel strong NSG is divided into two types of forces. One is Special Action group (SAG) and another is Special Rangers group (SRG). The SAG is the elite and offensive wing whose members are strictly drawn out of Indian Army. They perform operations of Terrorism,Bomb Disposal, Hijacking etc.
The SRG group is reserved for Central Armed Police Forces(CRPF,BSF,SSB,CISF,ITBP) and concerned mainly with VIP security. So next time, please don’t relate the offensive and defensive wings together walking around the politicians and other VVIPs. 
As NSG Commandos are country’s premier counter terrorists response team so they are trained to take only head shots and may be two at one shot for neutralizing the target threat.
A NSG personnel does more firing in a week of alert status than in their entire 10-year career in Indian Army . On average, a Commando fires close to 14,000 rounds over a period of two months in ‘alert status’ which are daily drills and practicing in realistic scenario . The target strike rate has to be above 85% for a person to remain in the force.
NSG Commandos are equipped with best of weapons, gadgets,night vision devices, real time war equipment and advanced guns. It ranges from side arms like Glock knife to deadliest of all the guns like Glock 17 9mm Semi-automatic Pistol.,Heckler & Koch MP-5 Sub-machine Gun, NATO Carbine to lot more. 
The smallest combat unit in the NSG’s counter-terrorist ops is called a hit which include 5 members – two pairs, or partners and a technical support member. 4 hits make a team which is under the command of a Captain. 
Though female Commandos are trained by NSG but they are yet to achieve the permanent commission. As of now, there is no such provision to join SAG but they can join SPG. Recently, On one of PM Modi’s foreign visits, there was one female SPG commando attached to the security. But after India got its first female full time defense minister as Nirmala Sitharaman it’s expected speedy deployment of NSG women commandos for anti-terror operations along with male commandos
The balidan Badge is earned by NSG Commandos no wonder we have martyrs as glorious as Lt. Col Niranjan Kumar who gave the supreme sacrifice in Pathankot attack or Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who attained martyrdom during Mumbai attacks. 
NSG Commandos (SAG) are ranked among top 10 special forces of the world. Their credibility can be measured from the fact that NSG was initially modeled on Germany’s GSG 9 units which is one of the world’s most elite counter-terrorist faction but today NSG Commandos have surpassed them as Special forces, or specialized counter insurgency forces as military units in training to perform unconventional, typically insecure missions for a nation’s political, economic or military purposes. We can easily say that NSG is among one of the best special forces in the world.
Qualification to become a NSG Commando
NSG is deputation based special force and there is no direct entry. And one can join NSG to any of the wings but there are certain age limitations so if you are serious about joining NSG then setting up a goal and prior planning is important. The application criteria of NSG including age,height,weight etc would depend upon the rank one is applying for as the NSG offers entry at different ranks and functions.
There should be no red ink entry, no criminal records or even punishment records for at least three years of the last service the applicant was in. Then the applicant need to obtain an ‘A’ grading medical evaluation test which includes complete mental and physical test. Then the applicant need to apply for National Security Guard training program in Manesar and also apply to become official member of NSG. Here you should have all the documents that also states about your service period in Army of Central Police force ready to be sent to NSG headquarters in New Delhi. Then once National Security Guard Office approves you proceed further with the recruitment process of NSG.
The NSG training is so tough that it has a drop out rate of almost 80% . The National Security Guard training Center is located in Manesar Haryana where a 14 month training program is commenced along with the basic training for 90 days. The NSG commandos in making are trained to deal with combat gadgets and different kinds of arms/ specialized weapons such as AK-47/ 74s, browning hi-power 9mm pistols, etc. and bolt-action Mauser SP66/ 86SR which is specifically deployed for anti-terror/ anti-hijacking operations. There are also cross country races, jumping from heights, scaling different terrains and target shooting sessions.
Those who qualify successfully are sent to further nine months of advance training. The advanced training unit has a superb bomb disposal squad unit. There are many other techniques and skills Commandos are imparted with. Those who qualify advance training successfully are included into NSG and sent further for specialized training. Some of the best NSG personnel are sent to Israel for advanced training. Though it is not known exactly what training they receive.
Roles and functions of NSG
The NSG is an elite force providing a second line of defense to the nation. They are the Armour safeguarding the unity of India and threat to anti-national elements to tear apart the sovereignty of the country. Primarily concerned with
- Neutralization of specific terrorist threats in vital installations or any given area
- Handling hijack situations involving piracy in the air and on the land.
- Engaging and neutralizing terrorists in specific situations.
- Rescue of hostages in kidnap situations
NSG Commandos contingent even replaced Para Commandos for 68th Republic Day Parade by debuting at the Rajpath New Delhi. We wish many more laurels for our super special force of India National Security Guards aka Black Cats and never felt safer before you guys. You Rock!
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