The few, the proud, the SLA Special ForcesThe men were part of a course intake of around 600 hand selected fresh recruits into the Army. Around half of the intake were unable to complete the grueling training which involves a physical conditioning program, compass march, confidence jump, armed and unarmed combat, survival, marksmanship, camouflage and concealment etc.
The new recruits will be enlisted to 1,2 and 3 Special Forces Regiments in due course, where they will further specialise in various chosen fields, some will even receive foreign training. Another batch of around 300 Special Forces are to pass out in August-September of this year.
Meanwhile the Maduru Oya Combat Training School (two schools) is also training around 600 Sri Lanka Air Force ground troops following inadequacies in training highlighted in Katunayake and Anuradhapura airbase attacks. These recruits are also expected to graduate very soon.
The CTS and the Uva Kuda Oya CRTS recently trained a contingent of the Maldivian Security Forces. The Maduru Oya CTS was also home to a US Marines training program.
16 comments:
This is our nations pride. May triple gems bless these brave and smart men.
I disagree with the slogan in the poster. However, it is a practical reality that freedom has a price.
These guys are too precious to lose, even to get injured.
May God Bless them and bring them back safely.
Sri Lanka is our land from the Southern tip to the Northern tip. It is legally and constitutionally ours and ours only. So there is no need to die for our land.
NO DYING FOR OUR LAND, LET THEM DIE FOR THEIRS!
Tigers may be literally shiting knowing that the elite forces are expanding at a stagering rate.
Suicide will be the only thing left to the LTTE pretty soon.
Wareh, Waah! :D
I am suprised that fresh recruits are taken into special forces. Defencewire, the normal practice in most forces is to take them from active servicemen who have proven themselves, then specially trained.
The SAS for example returns the active men back to the units once the mission is completed. Or is the SL special forces more like the American Green Beret.
RomeoAlphaFoxtrot, The island can tell everything it wants. The enemy always finds the weakest link to attack. This has been the case like the Germans using the Ardent Forrest to attack Belgium to France. No one thought the armour could be sued through such thick forrest.
In Bastonge, if the germans who were numerically/logistically/armed superior to the 101st Airbone has attacked all at one go instead of piecemeal attacks, the germans could have reached Dunkirk.
Defence Wire,
Thank you for the updates...
Both 571 & 572 brigades could be seen in the map & they approach from the south of Madhu.Then who operates at Palampiddi? Is it 573 or part of 571? IF so could you pls explain where they started & how they reached there?
Best of luck of for the BEST OF THE BEST!
As I know the usual practice is to recruit to SF from other units. But given the demand I giuess SF has expanded their limits so that new comers also welcome.
So is it 50% the completion rate for SF?
How about commando and reguler SLA?
Moshey
Don't take the direct meaning of those words. That is litriture and you need to interpret it in 'correct' way.
With elite units it is very important to remember the concept of QUALITY NOT QUANTITY!!!
I guess the battlefield losses must be greater than the numbers publicised...sigh..
ninja,
"As I know the usual practice is to recruit to SF from other units."
SF, Commando and STF all recruit people directly. If you're in SL you'd see the tv and newspaper advertisements from time to time. Maybe they're also taking people from other regiments as well, I don't know.
The direct recruitment is like this. The soldiers are first enlisted into the regular Army as regulars and under go 3mos training before basic SF course.They then have another 3mos course (we call it Yaka Mark gahanawa), which is on jungle warfare etc. Once that is complete they can, depending on availability of slots and personal merit, go on to do marksman/advanced marksman, para (even HALO in India/Pakistan), all arms and infantry weapons, advanced trekker and pathfinder course, combat diver course (3SF), US Army Ranger, Green Beret course, etc etc. Once all that is complete, you are a well rounded officer/soldier in the SF
On Madhu
571 is going towards palampiddi and also Madhu (north and south). Palampiddi-Veduthalthivu will be a vital route and also, capturing palampiddi will surround Madhu, although LTTE have now almost abandoned Madhu right now.
SF Guys are my Heroes! :-)
I just love them... they are a special breed!
DefenceWire,
I hear stories that the SF recently suffered some
unexpected casualties and that there is an inquiry
going on... any idea about this story?
Btw guys, don't worry... these casualties are in single
digits... but apparently, by SF standards, that too is
considered too high!
Defencewire,
Is this result of regular SF recruitment drive or as a result of special SF operations in time to come?
Haven't heard of Navy SBS lately. Are they still active in Trincomalee district?
Anyways good to see more SF troops on the ground. Once 61 division also comes into the picture. It'll be a big boost to the Army.
ninja,
Those ratios are true for this batch, but it is not a constant. The last SF batch to pass out were 99 officers and men already serving and from other units. The pass-out ratio was less than 25%. These new recruits go directly into the SF mother unit. The same inconsistent ratio applies to Commando and other regular units.
blackhawk,
Actually the publicized numbers are pretty closer to the truth now after a bunch of young officers took over the MCNS.
puffy
No such casualties. They are doing very well. SF suffered real casualties after a suicidal deployment to halt ceaseless waves. They have come a log way since then thanks to better leadership and morale.
The Defence TOP Brass all at the same location! Defence Secretary, the 3 service chiefs, the CDS and the IGP all at the funeral of JF -
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080409_06
Why do they still travel together? The last thing we want is our defence top brass to be eliminated in one single blow
Slogans can be a double edged sword.
This particular one can mean freedom can only be achieved by spillin the blood of the Sinhalese, a justification for terror.
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