India has several Special Forces (SF) units, with the branches of the Indian Armed Forces having their own separate special forces units. The Indian Army has the Para SF, the Indian Navy has the MARCOS, and the Indian Air Force has the Garud Commando Force. There are other special forces which are not controlled by the military, but operate under civilian organisations, such as the National Security Guard under Home Ministry and Special Group under RAW. Small groups from the military SF units are deputed in the Armed Forces Special Operations Division, a unified command and control structure.

Para (Special Forces), also known as Para Commandos or Para (SF) Commandos, is a group of special forces battalions of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian Army. These units specialize in various roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, counter-insurgency and direct action.