[15]Their airbase protection task also includes, when necessary, rendering inaccessible weapons systems and other assets by sealing them off.

[7][16] The tasks they perform also includes counter-terrorism, airborne assault, anti-hijacking, hostage rescue and assist civilian relief operations during calamities.

[20] Unlike its counterparts in the Army and Navy, candidates for Garud Commandos are not selected from volunteers of other branches.

Once a recruit completes training and meets the required standards, he is absorbed into the Commando force and is retained in this stream throughout his career.

This approach ensures that the Commando Force retains its highly trained men all through their career with the IAF.

After successful completion, these officers will be inducted and permanently assigned to the Garud Force for advancing to higher postings.

Training is also conducted along with the Indian Army personnel at the Rashtriya Military School, in Belgaum, Karnataka.

This phase, which usually has a high attrition (Drop-out) rate is conducted at the Garud Regimental Training Centre located at Hindon, Ghaziabad (New Delhi).

Those who qualify, proceed to the Parachute Training School (PTS) at Agra to complete the basic airborne phase.

Garud commandos were tasked to provide security at the Yelahanka AFS during Aero India (2005-2013)[22][23] On 18 January 2013, an IAF helicopter, with two Garud commandos as part of the security crew, while on a casualty evacuation sortie, was hit by 15 bullets fired by Naxalites and crashed in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh.

[25] Garud commandos are actively deployed in the Lolab Valley and the Hajin area of Jammu and Kashmir to conduct counter-insurgency operations.

[26] When the 2020 China–India tensions began, Garud commandos were deployed near mountain peaks considered by India to have strategic value.

Their role was to defend the Indian airspace against Chinese aircraft for which they employed 9K38 Igla air defense systems.

[29] In 2018, an AC was posthumously awarded to Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala of Unit 617, for displaying outstanding courage by killing two categories ‘A’ based terrorists and injuring two others, in an operation where six terrorists were killed, including the nephew of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi at Bandipora, Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2017.

[30][31][32] Squadron Leader Rajeev Chauhan Squadron Leader Dilip Gurnani Sergeant Shyam Veer Singh (924678) were simultaneously conferred the Vayu Sena Medal (2022) for serving in the Garud Commando Force, while being deployed in Jammu and Kashmir.