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The Indian Army ( IA) (ISO: ) is the Land warfare and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). The Indian Army was established on 1 April 1895 alongside the long established presidency armies of the East India Company, which too were absorbed into it in 1903. Some princely states maintained their own armies which formed the Imperial Service Troops which, along with the Indian Army formed the land component of the Armed Forces of the Crown of India, responsible for the defence of the Indian Empire. The Imperial Service Troops were merged into the Indian Army after independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in several battles and campaigns around the world, earning many battle and theatre honours before and after Independence.
The primary mission of the Indian Army is to ensure national security and national unity, to defend the nation from external aggression and internal threats, and to maintain peace and security within its borders. It conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances, such as Operation Surya Hope, and can also be requisitioned by the government to cope with internal threats. It is a major component of national power, alongside the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The independent Indian army has been involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan and Sino-Indian War with China. It has emerged victorious in all wars against Pakistan. Other major operations undertaken by the army include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot, and Operation Cactus. The army has conducted large peacetime exercises such as Operation Brasstacks and Exercise Shoorveer, and it has also been an active participant in numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions. The Indian Army was a major force in the First and Second World Wars, particularly in the Western Front and the Middle Eastern theatre during World War I, and the South-East Asian Theatre and the East African and North African campaigns during World War II.
The Indian Army is operationally and geographically divided into seven commands, with the basic field formation being a division. The army is an all-volunteer force and comprises more than 80% of the country's active defence personnel. It is the largest standing army in the world, with 1,248,000 active troops and 960,000 reserve troops. The army has embarked on an infantry modernisation program known as Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS), and is also upgrading and acquiring new assets for its armoured, artillery, and aviation branches.
With the Charter Act 1833, the Secretariat of the government of the East India Company was reorganised into four departments, including a Military Department. The army in the presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras functioned as respective Presidency Armies until 1 April 1895, when they were unified into a single force known as the Indian Army.Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses For administrative convenience, it was divided into four commands, namely Punjab (including the North West Frontier), Bengal, Madras (including Burma), and Bombay (including Sind, Quetta and Aden).Harold E. Raugh, The Victorians at war, 1815–1914: an encyclopaedia of British military history (2004) pp 173–79
The Indian Army was a critical force for maintaining the primacy of the British Empire, both in India and throughout the world. Besides maintaining internal security, the Army fought in many other theatres: Third Anglo-Afghan war; the Boxer Rebellion in China; in Abyssinia and in the WWI and Second World Wars.
The "Indianisation" of the Indian Army began with the formation of the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College at Dehradun, in March 1912, to provide education to the scions of aristocratic and well-to-do Indian families and to prepare selected Indian boys for admission into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Cadets were given a King's commission, after passing out, and were posted to one of the eight units selected for Indianisation. Because of the slow pace of Indianisation, with just 69 officers being commissioned between 1918 and 1932, political pressure was applied, leading to the formation of the Indian Military Academy in 1932 and greater numbers of officers of Indian origin being commissioned. On the eve of World War II, the officer corps consisted of roughly 500 Indians holding regular commissions against approximately 3,000 British officers.
In World War II Indian soldiers fought alongside the Allies. In 1939, British officials had no plan for expansion and training of Indian forces, which comprised about 130,000 men (in addition there were 44,000 men in British units in India in 1939), whose mission was internal security and defence against a possible Soviet Union threat through Afghanistan. As the war progressed, the size and role of the Indian Army expanded dramatically, and troops were sent to battlefronts as soon as possible. The most serious problem was the lack of equipment.Kaushik Roy, "Expansion And Deployment of the Indian Army during World War II: 1939–45," Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Autumn 2010, Vol. 88 Issue 355, pp 248–268 Indian units served in Burma, wherein 1944–45, five Indian divisions were engaged along with one British and three African divisions. Even larger numbers operated in the Middle East. Some 87,000 Indian soldiers died in the war. By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in August 1945.Sumner, p.25
In the African and Middle East campaigns, captured Indian troops were given a choice to join the German Army, to eventually "liberate" India from Britain, instead of being sent to . These men, along with Indian students who were in Nazi Germany when the war broke out, made up what was called the Free India Legion. They were originally intended as pathfinders for German forces in Asia but were soon sent to help guard the Atlantic Wall. Few who were part of the Free India Legion ever saw any combat, and very few were ever stationed outside Europe. At its height, the Free India Legion had over 3,000 troops in its ranks.
Indian POWs also joined the Indian National Army, which was allied with the Empire of Japan. It was raised by a former colonel of the Indian Army, General Mohan Singh, but was later led by Subhas Chandra Bose and Rash Bihari Bose. With the fall of Singapore in 1942, about 40,000 Indian soldiers were captured. When given the choice, over 30,000 joined the Indian National Army. Those who refused became POWs and were mostly shipped to New Guinea.Peter Stanley, "Great in adversity": Indian prisoners of war in New Guinea," Journal of the Australian War Memorial (October 2002) No. 37 online After initial success, this army was defeated, along with the Japanese; but it had a huge impact on the Indian independence movement.
The departure of virtually all senior British officers following independence, and their replacement by Indian officers, meant many of the latter held acting ranks several ranks above their substantive ones. For instance, S. M. Shrinagesh, the ground-forces commander of Indian forces during the first Indo-Pak War of 1947–49 (and the future third COAS), was first an acting major-general and then an acting lieutenant-general during the conflict while holding the substantive rank of major, and only received a substantive promotion to lieutenant-colonel in August 1949. Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, the future ninth COAS, was an acting colonel at his promotion to substantive major from substantive captain in 1949, while future Lieutenant General K. P. Candeth was an acting brigadier (substantive captain) at the same time. In April 1948, the former Viceroy's Commissioned Officers (VCO) were re-designated Junior Commissioned Officers, while the former King's Commissioned Indian Officers (KCIO) and Indian Commissioned Officers (ICO), along with the former Indian Other Ranks (IOR), were respectively re-designated as Officers and Other Ranks.
Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa's taking over as the first "Indian" Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army from General Sir Roy Bucher, on 15 January 1949. With effect from 26 January 1950, the date India became a republic, all active-duty Indian Army officers formerly holding the King's Commission were recommissioned and confirmed in their substantive ranks.
An uneasy peace, sponsored by the UN, returned by the end of 1948, with Indian and Pakistani soldiers facing each other across the Line of Control, which has since divided Indian-held Kashmir from that part held by Pakistan. Several UN Security Council resolutions were passed, with Resolution 47 calling for a plebiscite to be held in Kashmir to determine accession to India or Pakistan, only after Pakistan withdrew its army from Kashmir. A precondition to the resolution was for Pakistan and India to return to a state of "as was" before the conflict. Pakistan would withdraw all tribesmen and Pakistani nationals brought in to fight in Kashmir. Pakistan refused to pull back, and there could be no further dialogue on fulfilling the UN resolution. Tensions between India and Pakistan, largely over Kashmir, have never been eliminated.
Small-scale clashes between Indian and Chinese forces broke out as India insisted on the disputed McMahon Line being regarded as the international border between the two countries. Chinese troops claimed not to have retaliated to the cross-border firing by Indian troops, despite sustaining losses.Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & David Lalman. War and Reason: Domestic and International Imperatives. Yale University Press (1994), p. 201 China's suspicion of India's involvement in Tibet created more rifts between the two countries.Alastair I. Johnston & Robert S. Ross. New Directions in the Study of China's Foreign Policy. Stanford University Press (2006), p. 99
In 1962, the Indian Army was ordered to move to the Dhola Post, located near the border between Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and about north of the disputed McMahon Line. Meanwhile, Chinese troops had also made incursions into Indian-held territory, and tensions between the two reached a new high when Indian forces discovered the road constructed by China in Aksai Chin. After a series of failed negotiations, the People's Liberation Army attacked Indian Army positions on the Thag La ridge. This move by China caught India by surprise, and on 12 October Nehru gave orders for the Chinese to be expelled from Aksai Chin. However, poor coordination among various divisions of the Indian Army, and the late decision to mobilise the Indian Air Force in vast numbers, gave China a crucial tactical and strategic advantage over India. On 20 October, Chinese soldiers attacked India from both the northwest and northeast; and captured large portions of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh.
As the fighting moved beyond disputed territories, China called on the Indian government to negotiate; however, India remained determined to regain lost territory. With no agreement in sight, China unilaterally withdrew its forces from Arunachal Pradesh. The reasons for the withdrawal are disputed, with India claiming various logistical problems for China and diplomatic support from the United States, while China stated that it still held territory it had staked a claim on. The dividing line between the Indian and Chinese forces was named the Line of Actual Control.
The poor decisions made by India's military commanders, and the political leadership, raised several questions. The Henderson-Brooks and Bhagat committee was soon set up by the government of India to determine the causes of the poor performance of the Indian Army. Its report criticised the decision not to allow the Indian Air Force to target Chinese transport lines, out of fear of a Chinese aerial counterattack on Indian civilian areas. Much of the blame was placed on the then–defence minister, Krishna Menon, who resigned from his post soon after the war ended. Despite frequent calls for its release, the Henderson-Brooks report remains classified.Claude Arpi. India and her neighbourhood: a French observer's views. Har-Anand Publications (2005), p. 186 . . Neville Maxwell has written an account of the war.CenturyChina, www.centurychina.com/plaboard/uploads/1962war.htm
Initially, the Indian Army met with considerable success in the northern sector. After launching prolonged artillery barrages against Pakistan, India was able to capture three important mountain positions in Kashmir. By 9 September, the Indian Army had made considerable inroads into Pakistan. India had its largest haul of Pakistani tanks when an offensive by Pakistan's 1st Armoured Division was blunted at the Battle of Asal Uttar, which took place on 10 September near Khemkaran. The biggest tank battle of the war was the Battle of Chawinda, the largest tank battle in history after World War II. Pakistan's defeat at the Battle of Asal Uttar hastened the end of the conflict.
At the time of the ceasefire declaration, India reported casualties of about 3,000. On the other hand, it was estimated that more than 3,800 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the conflict.Sumit Ganguly. "Pakistan". In India: A Country Study (James Heitzman and Robert L. Worden, editors). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (September 1995). About 200–300 Pakistani tanks were either destroyed or captured by India. India lost a total of 150-190 tanks during the conflict.Spencer Tucker. Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO (2004), p. 172 . . The decision to return to pre-war positions, following the Tashkent Declaration, caused an outcry in New Delhi. It was widely believed that India's decision to accept the ceasefire was due to political factors, not military, since it was facing considerable pressure from the United States and the United Nations to cease hostilities.Sumit Ganguly. Conflict unending: India-Pakistan tensions since 1947. Columbia University Press (2002), p. 45 . .
On 20 November 1971, the Indian Army moved 14 Punjab Battalion of the 45th Cavalry regiment, into Garibpur, a strategically important town in East Pakistan, near India's border, and successfully captured it. The following day, more clashes took place between Indian and Pakistani forces. Wary of India's growing involvement in the Bengali rebellion, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched a preemptive strike on 10 Indian air bases—at Srinagar Airport, Jammu Airport, Pathankot, Amritsar, Agra, Adampur Airport, Jodhpur Airport, Jaisalmer, Uttarlai, and Sirsa—at 17:45 hours on 3 December. However, this aerial offensive failed to accomplish its objectives and gave India an excuse to declare a full-scale war against Pakistan the same day. By midnight, the Indian Army, accompanied by the Indian Air Force, launched a major three-pronged assault into East Pakistan. The Indian Army won several battles on the eastern front including the decisive Battle of Hilli. The operation also included a battalion-level airborne operation on Tangail, which resulted in the capitulation of all resistance within five days.Owen Bennett Jones. Pakistan: Eye of the Storm. Yale University Press (2003), p. 177 . . India's massive early gains were attributed largely to the speed and flexibility with which Indian armoured divisions moved across East Pakistan.Eric H. Arnett. Military capacity and the risk of war: China, India, Pakistan, and Iran. Oxford University Press (1997), p. 134 . .
Pakistan launched a counterattack against India on the western front. On 4 December 1971, A Company of the 23rd Battalion of India's Punjab Regiment intercepted the Pakistani 51st Infantry Brigade near Ramgarh, Rajasthan. The Battle of Longewala ensued, during which A Company, though outnumbered, thwarted the Pakistani advance until the Indian Air Force directed its fighters to engage the Pakistani tanks. By the time the battle had ended, 38 Pakistani tanks and 100 armoured vehicles were either destroyed or abandoned. About 200 Pakistani troops were killed in action, while only two Indian soldiers died. Pakistan suffered another major defeat on the western front at the Battle of Basantar, which was fought from 4 to 16 December. During the battle, about 66 Pakistani tanks were destroyed and 40 more were captured. Pakistani forces destroyed only 11 Indian tanks.S. Paul Kapur. Dangerous deterrent: nuclear weapons proliferation and conflict in South Asia. Stanford University Press (2007), p. 17 . . By 16 December, Pakistan had lost sizeable territory on both the eastern and western fronts.
On 16 December 1971, under the command of Lt. General J. S. Arora, elements of the three corps of the Indian Army that had invaded East Pakistan entered Dhaka as a part of the Indo-Bangladesh allied force and forced Pakistani forces to surrender, one day after the conclusion of the Battle of Basantar. After Pakistan's Lt General A. A. K. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender, India, as a part of the allied forces, took more than 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war. By the time of the signing, 11,000 Pakistani soldiers had been killed in action, while India suffered 3,500 battle-related deaths. In addition, Pakistan lost 220 tanks during the battle compared to India's 69.Encyclopedia of the Developing World, p. 806
In 1972, the Simla Agreement was signed between the two countries, although subsequent incidences of heightened tensions have resulted in continued military vigilance on both sides.
India, possibly irked by these developments, launched Operation Meghdoot in April 1984. An entire battalion of the Kumaon Regiment was airlifted to the glacier. Pakistani forces responded quickly, and clashes between the two followed. The Indian Army secured the strategic Sia La and Bilafond La mountain passes, and by 1985 more than of territory claimed by Pakistan was under Indian control.Edward W. Desmond. "The Himalayas War at the Top Of the World" . Time (31 July 1989). The Indian Army continues to control all of the Siachen Glacier and its tributary glaciers. Pakistan has made several unsuccessful attempts to regain control over Siachen. In late 1987, Pakistan mobilised about 8,000 troops and garrisoned them near Khaplu, aiming to capture Bilafond La.Vivek Chadha. Low Intensity Conflicts in India: An Analysis. SAGE (2005), p. 105 . . However, they were repulsed by Indian Army personnel guarding Bilafond. During the battle, about 23 Indian soldiers lost their lives, while more than 150 Pakistani troops perished.Pradeep Barua. The State at War in South Asia. University of Nebraska Press (2005), p. 256 . . Further unsuccessful attempts to reclaim positions were launched by Pakistan in 1990, 1995, 1996, and 1999, most notably in Kargil in the latter year.
India continues to maintain a strong military presence in the region, despite inhospitable conditions. The conflict over Siachen is regularly cited as an example of mountain warfare.Tim McGirk with Aravind Adiga. "War at the Top of the World". Time (4 May 2005). The highest peak in the Siachen Glacier region, Saltoro Kangri, could be viewed as strategically important for India because of its height, which would enable Indian forces to monitor Pakistani or Chinese movements in the area.Sanjay Dutt. War and Peace in Kargil Sector. APH Publishing (2000), p. 389-90 . . Maintaining control over Siachen poses several logistical challenges for the Indian Army. Several infrastructure projects were constructed in the region, including a helipad at an elevation of .Nick Easen. Siachen: The world's highest cold war . CNN (17 September 2003). In 2004, the Indian Army was spending an estimated US$2 million a month to support its personnel stationed in the region.Arun Bhattacharjee. "On Kashmir, hot air and trial balloons" . Asia Times (23 September 2004).
Once the scale of the Pakistani incursion was realised, the Indian Army quickly mobilised about 200,000 troops, and Operation Vijay was launched. However, since the heights were under Pakistani control, India was at a clear strategic disadvantage. From their , the Pakistani forces had a clear line-of-sight to lay down indirect fire on NH 1A, inflicting heavy casualties on the Indians. Indian general praises Pakistani valour at Kargil 5 May 2003 Daily Times, Pakistan This was a serious problem for the Indian Army as the highway was its main supply route.Kashmir in the Shadow of War By Robert Wirsing Published by M.E. Sharpe, 2003
pp36
Thus, the Indian Army's priority was to recapture peaks near NH 1A. This resulted in Indian troops first targeting the Tiger Hill and Tololing complex in Dras.Managing Armed Conflicts in the 21st Century By Adekeye Adebajo, Chandra Lekha Sriram Published by Routledge pp192,193 This was soon followed by more attacks on the Batalik–Turtok sub-sector, which provided access to Siachen Glacier. Point 4590, which had the nearest view of the NH 1A, was successfully recaptured by Indian forces on 14 June.The State at War in South Asia By Pradeep Barua Published by U of Nebraska Press Page 261
Though most of the posts in the vicinity of the highway were cleared of the enemy by mid-June, some posts near Dras endured sporadic shelling until the end of the war. Once the NH 1A area was cleared, the Indian Army turned to drive the invading force back across the Line of Control. The Battle of Tololing, among others, slowly tilted the war in India's favour. Nevertheless, some Pakistani posts put up a stiff resistance, including Tiger Hill (Point 5140), which fell only later in the war. As the operation was fully underway, about 250 artillery guns were brought in to clear the infiltrators in posts that were in the Sightline. At many vital points, neither artillery nor air power could dislodge the Pakistan soldiers, who were out of visible range. The Indian Army mounted some direct frontal ground assaults, which were slow and took a heavy toll, given the steep ascents that had to be made on peaks as high as . Two months into the conflict, Indian troops had slowly retaken most of the ridges they had lost. Online summary of the Book According to official accounts, an estimated 75%–80% of the enemy-occupied area, and nearly all the high ground, was back under Indian control.
Following the Washington Accord of 4 July, where Sharif agreed to withdraw Pakistani troops, most of the fighting came to a gradual halt; but some Pakistani forces remained in positions on the Indian side of the LOC. In addition, the United Jihad Council (an umbrella group for all extremists) rejected Pakistan's plan for a draw-down, deciding instead to fight on.Alastair Lawson. "Pakistan and the Kashmir militants" . BBC News (5 July 1999). The Indian Army launched its final attacks in the last week of July. As soon as the Dras sub-sector had been cleared of Pakistani forces, the fighting ceased on 26 July, which has since been celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. By the end of the war, India had resumed control of all the territory south and east of the Line of Control, as was established in July 1972 per the Simla Convention. By the time all hostilities had ended, the number of Indian soldiers killed during the conflict stood at 527,A.K. Chakraborty. "Kargil War brings into sharp focus India's commitment to peace" . Government of India Press Information Bureau (July 2000). while more than 700 regular members of the Pakistani Army had been killed.Michael Edward Brown. Offense, defence, and war. MIT Press (2004), p. 393 The number of Islamist fighters, also known as Mujahideen, killed by Indian armed forces during the conflict stood at about 3,000.
Twelve days later, in the early morning of 26 February 2019, India carried out a cross-border airstrike near Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
After over a month-long skirmish, both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed on a peace offer on 22 March 2019 ending hostilities and vowed to fight against terrorism together.
The eighth edition of Yudh Abhyas was conducted from 3 to 17 May 2013 as a U.S.-Army-Pacific-sponsored bilateral training exercise with the Indian Army, an exercise that focused on the two countries' cultures, weapons training, and tactics. Units from the United States included the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment. Units from India were the Indian Army's 99th Mountain Brigade; the 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurka Rifles; the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade; and the 54th Engineers Regiment.
Several field firings were carried out to check the accuracy and lethality of weapon systems. Many innovations, adopted by units and formations to enhance combat power, were tested in the field. The troops built on the training momentum gradually, with increasing combat tempo, to set the stage for a major joint army–air force exercise in the latter part of the exercise.
The current combat doctrine of the Indian Army is based on effectively utilising holding formations and strike formations. In the case of an attack, the holding formations would contain the enemy and strike formations would counter-attack to neutralise enemy forces. In the case of an Indian attack, the holding formations would pin enemy forces down, whilst the strike formations would attack at a point of India's choosing. The Indian Army is large enough to devote several corps to the strike role.
| + Leadership at Army Headquarters !Post !Current Holder | |
| Chief of the Army Staff | General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM |
| Vice Chief of Army Staff | Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM |
| Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) | Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, SYSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM*** |
| Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems and Training) | Lieutenant General Vipul Shinghal, AVSM, SM |
| Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance) | Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, AVSM, VSM |
| Adjutant General | Lieutenant General VPS Kaushik, PVSM, UYSM, YSM, SM |
| Military Secretary | Lieutenant General Rashim Bali, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM |
| Quartermaster General | |
| Master General Sustenance | Lieutenant General Amardeep Singh Aujla, PVSM, UYSM, YSM, SM, VSM |
| Engineer-in-Chief | Lieutenant General Vikas Rohella, AVSM, SM** |
The troops are organized into 40 Divisions in 14 Corps. Army headquarters is located in the Indian capital, New Delhi, and it is under the overall command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Six Area Headquarters are also part of the operational commands, alongside corps and divisions: Delhi; Dakshin Bharat (Southern Command); Madhiya; Uttar Pradesh; MG&G; and 101 Areas.
| New Delhi | 50th Independent Parachute Brigade | |
| Lucknow | Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta | 6th Mountain Division |
| Kolkata | Lieutenant General V. M. Bhuvana Krishnan | |
| Udhampur | Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma | |
| Pune | Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain | |
| Jaipur | Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh | |
| Chandimandir | Lieutenant General Pushpendra Pal Singh | |
| Shimla | MITSD |
The Indian Territorial Army has battalions affiliated with different infantry regiments and some department units that are from the Corps of Engineers, Army Medical Corps, or the Army Service Corps. They serve as a part-time reserve. On 4 June 2017, the chief of staff announced that the Army was planning to open combat positions to women, who would first be appointed to positions in the military police.
| Armoured Corps | The Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar | |
| Regiment of Artillery | Lieutenant General Anoop Shinghal, AVSM, SM | The School of Artillery, Devlali near Nasik |
| Corps of Army Air Defence | Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha, PVSM, SM | Gopalpur, Odisha. |
| Army Aviation Corps | Lieutenant General Vinod Nambiar, SM | Combat Army Aviation Training School, Nasik. |
| Electronic and Mechanical Engineers | Lieutenant General Rajiv Kumar Sahni, AVSM, VSM | Military College of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Secunderabad |
| Corps of Engineers | Lieutenant General Vikas Rohella, AVSM, SM** | College of Military Engineering, Pune Madras Engineer Group, Bangalore Bengal Engineer Group, Roorkee Bombay Engineer Group, Khadki near Pune |
| Corps of Signals | Lieutenant General Vivek Dogra, SM | Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow Two Signal Training Centres at Jabalpur and Goa. |
| Infantry | Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, AVSM, VSM | Multiple centres |
There are 50 mechanised infantry battalions in the Army. Of these, 10 are for reconnaissance and support battalions (5 wheeled and 5 tracked) and 40 are standard mechanised infantry battalions (10 wheeled and 30 tracked).
The Standard and Recce & Support Tracked battalions are equipped with BMP-2 while the Wheeled ones are equipped with Jeep (mounted ATGM launchers) and BRDM-2. The recce and support battalions also included 4 ATGM battalions (including 17 Guards battalion). These were later converted to R&S battalions.
Most Indian Army infantry regiments recruit based on certain selection criteria, such as region (for example, the Assam Regiment), caste/community (Jat Regiment), or religion (Sikh Regiment). Most regiments continue the heritage of regiments raised under the British Raj, but some have been raised after independence, some of which have specialised in border defence, in particular the Ladakh Scouts, the Arunachal Scouts, and the Sikkim Scouts.
Over the years there have been fears that troops' allegiance lay more with their regiments and the regions/castes/communities/religions from which they were recruited, as opposed to the Indian union as a whole. Thus some "all India" or "all class" regiments have been created, which recruit troops from all over India, regardless of region, caste, community, or religion: such as the Brigade of the Guards (which later converted to the Mechanised Infantry profile) and the Parachute Regiment.
Given the rise in drone warfare, the Indian Army included drone platoons to each of its infantry battalions.
| +Infantry regiments in the Indian Army !Regiment !Regimental Center !Raised | ||
| Parachute Regiment | Bangalore, Karnataka | 1945 |
| Punjab Regiment | Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand | 1761 |
| Madras Regiment | Wellington Cantonment, Tamil Nadu | 1758 |
| The Grenadiers | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | 1778 |
| Maratha Light Infantry | Belgaum, Karnataka | 1768 |
| Rajputana Rifles | Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi | 1775 |
| Rajput Regiment | Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh | 1778 |
| Jat Regiment | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh | 1795 |
| Sikh Regiment | Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand | 1846 |
| Sikh Light Infantry | Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh | 1857 |
| Dogra Regiment | Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh | 1877 |
| Garhwal Rifles | Lansdowne, Uttarakhand | 1887 |
| Kumaon Regiment | Ranikhet, Uttarakhand | 1813 |
| Assam Regiment | Shillong, Meghalaya | 1941 |
| Bihar Regiment | Danapur Cantonment, Bihar | 1941 |
| Mahar Regiment | Sagar, Madhya Pradesh | 1941 |
| Jammu & Kashmir Rifles | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | 1821 |
| Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry | Avantipur, Jammu and Kashmir | 1947 |
| Naga Regiment | Ranikhet, Uttarakhand | 1970 |
| 1 Gorkha Rifles | Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh | 1815 |
| 3 Gorkha Rifles | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | 1815 |
| 4 Gorkha Rifles | Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh | 1857 |
| 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) | Shillong, Meghalaya | 1858 |
| 8 Gorkha Rifles | Shillong, Meghalaya | 1824 |
| 9 Gorkha Rifles | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | 1817 |
| 11 Gorkha Rifles | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 1918 |
| Ladakh Scouts | Leh, Jammu and Kashmir | 1963 |
| Rashtriya Rifles | Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir | 1990 |
| Arunachal Scouts | Shillong, Meghalaya | 2010 |
| Sikkim Scouts | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 2013 |
As an integral part of nearly all combat operations conducted by the Indian Army, the Regiment of Artillery has a history of being a major contributor to its military success. During the Kargil War, it was the Indian Artillery that inflicted the most damage. Over the years, five artillery officers have gone on to the Army's highest post as Chief of Army Staff.
For some time, the Regiment of Artillery commanded a significantly larger share of the Army's personnel than it does now, as it was also responsible for air defence artillery and some aviation assets. The 1990s saw the formation of the Corps of Army Air Defence and the coalescing of all aviation assets into the Army Aviation Corps. The arm is now focused on field artillery and supplies regiments and batteries to each of the operational commands. The home of the Regiment is in Nashik, Maharashtra, where their headquarters is located, along with the service's museum. The School of Artillery of the Indian Army is located nearby, in Devlali.
After suffering consistent failure to import or produce modern artillery for three decades, the Regiment of Artillery is finally going ahead with procurement of brand new 130-mm and 155-mm guns. The Army is also putting large numbers of rocket launchers into service, with 22 regiments to be equipped with the indigenously developed Pinaka multi barrel rocket launcher by the end of the next decade.
The history of the AAD dates back to 1939, during the times of the British Raj in India. The corps actively took part in the Second World War, fighting on behalf of the British Empire. Post-independence, the corps has participated in all the wars involving India, starting with the 1947 Indo-Pakistani War, up to the 1999 Kargil conflict. The corps enjoyed autonomous status from 1994, after the bifurcation of the Corps of Air Defence Artillery from the Army's artillery regiment. A separate training school, the Army Air Defence College (AADC), was established to train its personnel.
| Army Service Corps | Lieutenant General Mukesh Chadha, AVSM, SM, VSM | Bangalore |
| Army Medical Corps | Lieutenant General C G Muralidharan, AVSM | Lucknow/Pune |
| Army Dental Corps | Lieutenant General Vineet Sharma, AVSM, VSM | Lucknow |
| Army Ordnance Corps | Lieutenant General Deepak Ahuja | Jabalpur and Secunderabad (HQ) |
| Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers | Lieutenant General Rajiv Kumar Sahni, AVSM, VSM | Secunderabad |
| Remount and Veterinary Corps | Meerut | |
| Army Education Corps | - | Pachmarhi |
| Corps of Military Police | Bangalore | |
| Pioneer Corps | Bangalore | |
| Army Postal Service Corps | - | Kamptee near Nagpur |
| Territorial Army | New Delhi | |
| Defence Security Corps | - | Kannur Cantonment, Kerala |
| Intelligence Corps | - | Pune |
| Judge Advocate General's Department | - | Institute of Military Law Kamptee, Nagpur |
| Military Nursing Service | - | Pune and Lucknow |
| Human Rights Cell | - | Delhi |
The Army Training Command (ARTRAC), at Shimla, supervises training of personnel.
In 2020 a 'Tour of Duty' scheme was proposed for voluntary recruitment into the forces for civilians, to enable them to join for three years of short service. The scheme is on a trial basis and will start with a test group of 100 officers and 1000 jawans.
| +Recruitment in the Indian Army from 2015 !Year !Soldiers | |
| 2015–16 | 71,804 |
| 2016–17 | 52,447 |
| 2017–18 | 50,026 |
| 2018–19 | 53,431 |
| 2019–20 | 80,572 |
| 2020–21 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | 0 |
| 2022–23 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 13,000 |
In the late 1970s, the MI was embroiled in the Samba spy scandal, wherein three Indian Army officers were falsely implicated as Pakistani spies. The organisation has since emerged from the scandal as a prime intelligence organisation of the Indian Army.
, the MI has seen many of its roles taken away by the newly created National Technical Research Organisation and the Defence Intelligence Agency. Since it was set up in 2004 as a premier scientific agency under the National Security Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, it also includes the National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD), which is the first of its kind in Asia.
| Strength of the Indian Army | ||
| Officers | ||
| 18 | General | 2 |
| 17/16/15 | Lieutenant General | 80 |
| 14 | Major General | 292 |
| 13A | Brigadier | 1162 |
| 13 | Colonel | 5586 |
| 12A | Lieutenant Colonel | 12620 |
| 11 | Major | 11885 |
| 10B | Captain | 6637 |
| 10 | Lieutenant | 3218 |
| Re-employed & Officers in select rank officers outside cadre | 1574 | |
| Total | 43056 | |
| Officers in MNS | 3866 | |
| GRAND TOTAL | 53569 | |
Commissioned Officers Commissioned officers are the leaders of the army and command units from platoon/company to brigade, division, corps, and above.
Indian Army officers are continually put through different courses of training, and assessed on merit, for promotions and appointments. Substantive promotions up to lieutenant colonel, or equivalent, are based on time in service, whereas those for the colonel and above are based on selection, with promotion to colonel being also based on time served.
| Honorary/ War time rank | Held by the Chief of Defence Staff (with different insignia) or the Chief of the Army Staff | |||
Other Ranks
The service dress consists of a dark green coloured short-sleeved shirt with matching dark green trousers. Officers can add a four pocket tunic worn over a peach coloured button down shirt and black tie. The Winter "Angola", meaning Angora wool, version substitutes a light brown/dark khaki long-sleeved button up shirt. It is accompanied by beret or peaked cap depending on the regiment the soldier belongs to. Organizational headwear, sashes, belts, spats, medals, lanyards, and other achievements are added for ceremonial duties. A black version is worn by the Armoured Corps.
The 2006 standard issued camouflage uniform of the Indian Army was the PC-DPM which consists of French Camouflage Europe Centrale featuring a forest camouflage pattern and is designed for use in woodland environments being printed on BDU. The Desert variant issued in 2006 was based on the French Camouflage Daguet printed on BDU, which features a desert camouflage pattern, is used by artillery and infantry posted in dusty, semi-desert, and desert areas of Rajasthan and its vicinity. Starting in 2022, a digital pixelated camouflage pattern uniform designed by NIFT has been adopted, while the uniform style is similar to the US Marine MMCUU uniform.
The new camouflage pattern retains the mix of colours including olive green and earthen, and has been designed keeping in mind aspects like areas of deployment of the troops and climatic conditions they operate in. According to the officials, the fabric of the new material makes it lighter, sturdier, more breathable, and more suitable for the different that the soldiers are posted in.
The new uniform, unlike the old one, has a combat T-shirt worn underneath and a jacket over it. Also, unlike the older uniform, the shirt will not be tucked in. The jacket has angular top pockets, lower pockets with vertical openings, knife at the back, a pocket on the left sleeve & a pen holder on the left forearm, and improved-quality buttons. The trousers will be adjustable at the waist with elastic and buttons, and has a double layer at the groin. For the caps, the girth will be adjustable, and the logo of the Army will be of better quality than earlier.
The new uniforms would not be available in the open market. The uniforms will be and to maintain their uniqueness and will be available only through the ordnance chain or military canteens. To control random proliferation, they will come in over a dozen pre-stitched standard sizes. The new uniform will be made available in a phased manner to the nearly 1.2 million personnel of the Indian Army.
The modern Indian Army wears distinctive parade uniforms characterised by variegated turbans and waist-sashes in regimental colours. The Gurkha and Garhwal Rifles and the Assam, Kumaon, and Naga Regiments wear broad-brimmed hats of traditional style. Traditionally, all rifle regiments (the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, the Garhwal Rifles, all Gorkha Rifles, and the Rajputana Rifles), as well as the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, wear , buttons, and wire-embroidered articles in black, instead of the usual brass (or gold) colour, as the original role of the rifle regiments was camouflage and concealment.
The medals awarded by the President for gallantry displayed away from the battlefield, in order of precedence, are Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra.
Many of the recipients of these awards have been Indian Army personnel.
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Training is conducted in two phases. First, cadets spend three years at National Defence Academy, earning a Jawaharlal Nehru University affiliated degree in B.Sc. or B.A. while undergoing basic military training. After graduation, Army cadets move to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun for one year of advanced army training focused on leadership and field warfare.
On completion, cadets are commissioned as Lieutenants. Based on merit and preference, they are allotted to infantry (such as Rajputana Rifles, Dogra Regiment, etc.), armoured corps (such as Poona Horse, 87th Armoured Regiment, etc.), Regiment of Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, etc.
Candidates applying must be unmarried Indian male citizens, aged 19–24 years for IMA entry. A bachelor's degree in any stream is required for the Army, along with medical fitness standards similar to NDA, with strict requirements for vision, height, and general health. The selected candidates for the army join the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, for 12 months of pre-commission training. This includes advanced weapon training, field tactics, leadership development, and physical conditioning. After the successful completion of the training, the candidate is commissioned as a Lieutenant in the army.
The selection is based shortlisting of candidates based on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test scores. Then shortlisted candidates attend a ToELR-WT test (Test of English Language, Comprehension, Logic, and Reasoning + Written Test) followed by Psychological Assessment, Interview Board, and document verification, and medical tests. The final merit list is preepared using NEET scores, ToELR-WT marks, and interview performance.
After the selection, the candidate obtains a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) undergraduate degree from AFMC, along with basic military training. After completion of the course graduates are directly commissioned as Captains in the Army Medical Corps with a Permanent Commission. Around 150 seats are available every year in the AFMC, and 2.5 to 3 lakh NEET aspirants apply annually for these limited seats, making it the most competitive and academically challenging course in the Indian Armed Forces.
TES offers a 5-year integrated program, combining engineering education and military training:
In the first three years, academic engineering training at one of the Army's technical institutes like College of Military Engineering, MCEME, Secunderabad, or MCTE, Mhow. Cadets also undergo basic military training, discipline, and physical conditioning. In the last few years the cadets are trained at Officers Training Academy, Gaya. On successful completion of training, cadets are awarded a B.Tech degree in their engineering stream.
This deadlock has led to a complete halt in the recruitment of Gurkha for nearly five years, creating deep uncertainty for thousands of aspiring candidates and casting doubt on the future of the legendary Gorkha regiments, which have been an integral part of the army for over seven decades.
Traditionally, India recruits Gorkha soldiers who are citizens of Nepal under the framework of the Tripartite Agreement. To qualify, a candidate shall be aged between 17.3 and 21 years and must have successfully completed Class 10 and hold a matriculation certificate from a recognized educational board. Following this, the candidate must undergo a rigorous physical and medical examination, demonstrating excellent physical fitness, 6/6 eyesight, and being completely free of deformities, disorders, or diseases that could impair service.
Gorkha candidates are provided special height relaxation compared to the general requirements for the Western Plains region. As per current standards, the minimum height required for Gorkha recruits is 157 centimetres, with a minimum weight of 48 kilograms and a chest measurement of 77 centimetres (with a 5 cm expansion).
In 2014, Army chief General Bikram Singh said that if given sufficient budget support, the Indian Army might be able to acquire half the ammunition needed to fight in a major conflict by the next year.
On 13 October 2012, the defence minister gave control of attack helicopters to the Indian Army, which had formerly rested the Indian Air force.
On 10 August, it was reported that the Indian Army has issued "specific orders" with "implementation instructions" to undertake these major reorganisations through “Save and Raise” mode which will not have an effect on the defence budget.
On 22 October, Director General (Infantry), Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, announced the completion of raising 380 'Ashni' specialist drone platoons with each of the 380 infantry battalions. Each platoon employs 20–25 soldiers and is equipped with loitering munitions and drones to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. The Army is procuring six types of loitering munitions and four types of ISR drones for the infantry.
The Integrated Battle Groups would be Brigade-sized, self-sufficient combined arms formations commanded by an officer of the rank Major General. The IBGs are meant to transform the overall field formation of the Indian Army. As of July 2019, the new concept of formations had been test-bedded with the IX Corps ( Rising Star Corps) and were being reorganised based on the basis of feedbacks. The formation of a specific IBG and its resource allocation would depend on three T's — Threat, Terrain and Task. The formation would have mobilisation time of 12–48 hours. The IBG will replace the traditional field formation of Commands–Corps–Divisions– with Commands and Corps being the largest static formation spread across a defined geography and the largest mobile formation, respectively. As of 2019, each IBG fields 5,000 troops and includes infantry, armoured, artillery and air defence units. The composition of IBG also depends on its nature – offensive or defensive. While Offensive IBG will be designed to be mobilised at the earliest to thrust into enemy territory for strike operations, the Defensive IBG will be tasked to hold ground at vulnerable points where enemy action is expected.
In October 2019, the 59 Infantry Division of the XVII Corps ( Brahmastra Corps) conducted its first Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) military exercise for the formation's validation. Exercise Him Vijay included three IBGs of the Division. The aim was to reduce the response time Cold Start Doctrine's 72 hours to below 24 hours. By May 2022, the IBGs were test-bedded by IX Corps and further validated by the XVII Corps. The Army identified these Holding Corps in the Western Front and the Strike Corps in the Northern/Eastern Front for total 'IBG-isation' parallel to the formation of Integrated Theatre Commands to integrate the Armed Forces into larger theatres.
As of June 2024, two and five IBGs under IX Corps and XVII Corps were raised under the first and second phases, respectively. These formations were also war-gamed and validated in multiple instances. Though the Army HQ had earlier submitted the report on Phase 1 of 'IBG-isation', the Defence Ministry also demanded the same for Phase 2 before the official Government Sanction Letter (GSL) can be issued. The original plan was to initially carve out 8–10 IBGs (5,000 to 6,000 troops each) and followed by more over the years. By November 2024, the Army submitted a draft GSL seeking official approval for the establishment of IBGs. The issuing of the GSL implied the approval for the implementation of IBGs. Post approval, the Army aimed to have the IBGs operational by 2025.
During the annual press conference on 15 January 2025, on the occasion of the Army Day, CoAS General Upendra Dwivedi said that the Integrated Battle Groups will be either implemented if approval is granted in 2025 else the project will be totally abandoned. The proposals were in the final stages of approval and has financial as well as equipment and human resources implications. "It is the first Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as far as the restructuring is concerned. If it goes through, others will also follow suit," as per the COAS stated by a report. Some top-of-the-rack changes in the Northern Theatre Command has been identified to implement the IBGs and will incorporate lessons learnt from Exercise Him Vijay 2019. The IBGs could be equipped to lead surgical strike-like operations in case of a war unlike the current structure of the Army where the same role is carried out by Strike Corps.
In January 2026, a report revealed plans of the Indian Army to convert two Divisions under XVII Corps. The plans have been fast-tracked according to sources. The IBGs will comprise a Major General-ranked commanding officer with a size of over 5,000 troops but without any Brigade commander. The IBG will be able to draw logistics and other support elements from units placed under its respective Corps HQ, while a dedicated group can also be established to draw fire support. However, their implementation remains under discussion and could be further refined before deployment. The approach to capability development is based on capacity assessments, not on a threat-based model.
Though, the design of the Rudra brigades is based on the concept of Integrated Battle Groups, there are few but major modifications. Firstly, while an IBG was conceptualised to be a scaled-down Division, the Rudra brigades are not so but are slightly larger than standard brigades. Secondly, IBGs were envisioned to be commanded by a Major General, eliminating the rank of Brigadier. However, the Rudra brigades will have a Brigadier- ranked commanding officer.
Reportedly, the two Rudra brigades that are already formed will be operationalised in eastern Ladakh and Sikkim likely under IX Corps and XVII Corps, respectively, within few months.
The Rudra Brigade under the Konark Corps of the Southern Command was operationally validated during Exercise Akhand Prahaar under the Exercise Trishul in early November 2025. With the operationalisation of these brigades, the Army reportedly plans to upgrade its Cold Start military doctrine to "Cold Strike". The term was coined by a retired Army officer, Lieutenant General A B Shivane and later used by the commanding officer of Southern Command, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth.
As per a report on 14 August, the Indian Army plans to have five such battalions by the end of 31 October. From the five battalions, three of the battalions will be assigned to the Northern Command with one each for XIV Corps, XV Corps and XVI Corps, while one each will be deployed in the Western and the Northeastern sectors. The battalions will be tasked for roles like cross-border interdiction, reconnaissance and disruption of adversary positions. Ultimately, 23 Bhairav Battalions are planned to be raised.
As of 22 October, the service will raise 25 Bhairav battalions within six months. Meanwhile, five battalions, as earlier planned, have already been deployed and their training programme will culminate on 30 October, following which, the battalions will be operationalised. Additionally, four additional battalions are being raised.
As of 4 January 2026, the Army has raised 15 such battalions. The 4 Bhairav battalion, formed from the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, participated in the 77th Delhi Republic Day parade in 2026. Additionally, on the same occasion, the 6 Bhairav of the Eastern Command also took part in the Red Road parade in Kolkata. A report on 27 January by the Hindustan Times indicated that the Army had raised 21 Bhairav battalions.
Under the "Son of the Soil" concept, the soldiers are in listed from the same region where the unit is to be deployed. This ensures that the soldiers are familiar with the area’s geography, language and social conditions. Hence, they operate more efficiently because of their inherent knowledge of the terrain.
List of Corps equipped with Bhariav battalions: —
Each newly raised Shaktibaan regiment will be purely technology-driven units with the objective of "see-and-strike" operations and will include three batteries, with two of them operating long- and medium-range loitering munitions and the third operating and remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS). The regiments are being raised under "Save and Raise" format, implying restructuring existing assets and infrastructure rather than forming entirely new units.
Additionally, each traditional artillery regiment will be equipped with a Divyastra Battery. These will be composite batteries equipped with loitering munitions as well as dual-role RPAs and operating alongside the two batteries equipped with eight Howitzer each. The configuration will enable sensor-to-shoot networking and integrate real-time surveillance and engagement into an independent unit.
Under the first phase, five artillery regiments are expected to be introduced with Divyastra batteries by the end of August 2025. On 29 December 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the Indian Army proposal to procure 850 loitering munitions with launchers worth from Indian sources. The munitions will equip the Shaktibaan regiments and Divyastra batteries of the Indian Army Regiment of Artillery. This is part of an overall procurement of 30,000 such munitions to equip all three defence forces as well as special forces.
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