RAW Full Form – Everything You Need To Know About RAW

The RAW full form is Research and Analysis Wing. RAW is a primary foreign intelligence agency of India and has its headquarters in Delhi. Here in this post, we have mentioned everything you need to know about RAW in detail.

What Is RAW?

RAW is considered the primary foreign intelligence agency of India. Headquartered in New Delhi, RAW operates directly under the Prime Minister of India. RAW was intentionally established as a “wing” instead of an “agency” as an agency requires to report to the Parliament as per the Indian Constitution’s Right to Information Act. The structure, rank, pay, and perks of RAW are kept secret from Parliament.

Accordingly, it is difficult to know detailed information about the organization. Samant Kumar Goel, an Indian Police Service officer of the 1984 batch, is the current Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing.

This article contains the Full Form of RAW and its brief history, objective, successful operations, bodies of RAW, and recruitment process.

History of RAW

India’s defeat during the 1962 Sino-Indian border war and the consequences of the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war reinforced India’s need for a separate and distinct external intelligence organization. This resulted in the formation of RAW in September 1968 under the guidance of Rameshwar Nath Kao, with a staff of 250 people.

RAW Objective

RAW undertook two primary missions:

  • Maintain awareness of the military, economic, scientific, and political intelligence of neighboring countries, primarily China and Pakistan.
  • Augment the control over the transport of weapons and ammunition from and into India.

Being one of the top ten best intelligence agencies globally, the RAW plays an instrumental role in keeping India protected against terrorist attacks through covert and overt operations, providing security of nuclear programs, and monitoring developments in other countries that could directly affect India. RAW holds good relation with the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency of the US) and Mossad (external intelligence agency of Israel).

Intelligence support provided by RAW resulted in many successful operations:

  • RAW provided weapons and training to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgency to promote instability in Sri Lanka.
  • It assisted with training and weapons to Mukti Bahini, a group of East Pakistanis fighting for the separate state of Bangladesh, which led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
  • It played a significant role in defeating Pakistan during the Kargil conflict of 1971.
  • It provided covert assistance to the African National Congress’s anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
  • It led to the accession of Sikkim in 1975.
  • It promoted the increase of Indian influence in Afghanistan.

The organization has been granted legal permission to “spy” on Indian citizens by intercepting Indian citizens’ phone calls, emails, and other means of electronic communications.

Attached Bodies or Autonomous Bodies

  • Aerial Reconnaissance Centre is responsible for collecting high-quality overhead imagery of activities and installations in neighboring countries.
  • Special Frontier Force has functions independent of RAW; however, it often supports covert and overt RAW missions.
  • National Technical Facilities Organization/National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) is believed to be technological espionage.

RAW Recruitment

  • Generally, RAW recruits personnel serving in Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) or any other government institution.
  • UPSC candidates may be hired for the job in RAW.
  • RAW Allied Service (RAS), a special test, is organized by RAW to absorb better candidates.
  • People serving in Intelligence Bureau (IB) are also recruited.

Conclusion

RAW full form is Research and Analysis Wing. So this was all that you need to know about RAW in India, why it was formed, what are its objectives, the successful operations of RAW, and how RAW agents are recruited.

If you have any doubts or queries regarding your eligibility or application to be a RAW agent, feel free to connect to us through the comments section below. We wish you the best in your future.

People are also reading:

Leave a comment