MARCOS have come a long way from clearance divers or Frogmen who undertook special tasks in a purely waterborne environment to an elite force with sharp skills and capability to operate on land and from air. As these pioneers on completion of their training wore their ‘Para Wings’ on February 14, 1987, an elite Maritime Special Force formally came into being in India.
The East unit was raised on October 26, 1992 and since then it has been the primary special operations unit of the Eastern Naval Command. The unit’s main role is to conduct military operations that originate from sea or coastline. It has grown into a frontline operational unit mandated to undertake special operations in the entire AOR of Eastern Naval Command.
The MARCOS Base has been named after the archer and warrior from the Mahabharata – Karna. The name befits the unit because Karna was the epitome of Courage, Valour, Loyalty and Dignity, according to the official handout.
