Special Frontier Force: Vikas Battalion

Special Frontier Force: Vikas Battalion

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III- Defence and Security

In news

• The Special Frontier Force (SFF) unit, referred to as Vikas Battalion, was recently in the news. 
• It had been said to be instrumental in preventing Chinese occupation on the LAC in Ladakh.

Important value additions 

Special Frontier Force (SFF) 

• SFF was established on 14th November 1962 in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 Sino-India war.
• It falls under the purview of the Cabinet Secretariat. 
• It is headed by an Inspector General who is an Army officer of the rank of Major General.
• They are highly trained special forces personnel who can undertake a variety of tasks. 
• Women soldiers, too, form a part of SFF units. 
• The SFF units are not part of the Army
• However, they function under operational control of the Army

Do you know? 

Major Operations of SFF: 

• Operation Eagle (1971 war with Pakistan) 
• Operation Bluestar (clearing Amritsar’s Golden Temple in 1984)
• Operation Meghdoot (securing the Siachen glacier in 1984) 
• Operation Vijay (war with Pakistan at Kargil in 1999)