Special Frontier Force - Vikas Battalion

The Special Frontier Force (SFF) is a paramilitary special force of India created on 14 November 1962. SFF is known as the Indian Army’s most secret guerrilla force and is otherwise known as Establishment 22. It is often referred to in military parlance as “two-twos.”

The units comprising the Special Frontier Force are known as Vikas battalions.

This article will provide information about the Special Frontier Force – Vikas Battalion in the context of the IAS Exam.

This topic is useful for both GS Paper II and GS Paper III of the UPSC Syllabus.

The candidates can read more relevant information from the links provided below:

About Special Frontier Force (SFF)

• The force was established under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister, the unit under the operational command of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and later, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency.
• It is based in Chakrata, Uttarakhand. The first Camp was set up in Chakrata, 100 km from Dehradun. The Camp still exists and is the headquarters of the SFF.
• Chakrata was a mountain town in the foothills of the Himalayas with a large Tibetan refugee population. 
• The recruits were given six months of intensive training in rock climbing and guerrilla warfare. 
• The weapons were provided by the US and consisted mainly of M-1, M-2 and M-3 machine guns.
• The first guerrillas were chosen from the CIA-run Mustang camp in Nepal that housed members of the Chu Shi Gandruk, the main organization of the Khampa rebels.

 History of Special Frontier Force (SFF) 

• SFF was formed in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 China-India war. 
• It was Biju Patnaik who was instrumental in the formation of Establishment 22. 
• In fact, it was he who had mooted the idea of a Tibetan Guerrilla Force, comprising the Khampa rebels, after the 1962 Chinese debacle. 
• As Nehru’s close confidant and defence adviser, Biju along with the Intelligence Bureau Chief B.N.Mullick convinced Nehru that a force shall be formed consisting of members drawn from among the Tibetan youth who had fled to India along with the Dalai Lama.
• In 1966, the size of Establishment-22 was doubled and with this, the unit was given a new name – Special Frontier Force. 
• By 1971, SFF was 8 battalions strong.
• The original mission, which prompted many Tibetans to join the force, is no longer relevant. Their leader, the Dalai Lama, is against any military operation to free Tibet.
• Since 1975, the SFF has been prohibited from being deployed within 10 km of the Indo-Chinese border unless under explicit instructions.

Role of SFF

• The primary function/role of SFF or Establishment 22 was to conduct covert operations behind the Chinese lines in the event of another Indo-China war.
• They would infiltrate as guerrillas and destroy Chinese lines and communication; damage roads, airfields and radar installations; compel the Chinese to deploy a disproportionate force at rear security; create insurgency and rebellion in Tibet which would help the Indian army in engaging the Chinese at the border. 
• As such, the recruits were trained as high-altitude paratroops commandos, well versed in the arts of ambush, demolition, survival and sabotage.
• Special Frontier Force was primarily used for conducting clandestine intelligence gathering and commando operations along the Line of Actual Control with China.
• However, SFF has been fielded by R&AW and the Indian government in various covert and overt operation theatres.

To read more about Central Intelligence And Investigative Agencies of India, check the linked article. 

Special Frontier Force – Vikas Battalion [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

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