|
|
|
|
Indian Army
|
| |
|
| |
The Indian Army (IA;Devanagari: ?????? ??????, Bharatiya Thalsena) is the largest branch of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based military operations. Its primary objectives include defending India from external aggression, maintaining peace and security within the country, patrolling borders and conducting counter-terrorist operations. It also conducts rescue and humanitarian operations during calamities and disturbances.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Indian Army' Start a new discussion about 'Indian Army' Answer questions from other users |
Recent Posts
Encyclopedia
The Indian Army (IA;Devanagari: ?????? ??????, Bharatiya Thalsena) is the largest branch of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based military operations. Its primary objectives include defending India from external aggression, maintaining peace and security within the country, patrolling borders and conducting counter-terrorist operations. It also conducts rescue and humanitarian operations during calamities and disturbances. The President of India is the Commander in Chief of the Indian Army.
With more than 1,130,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,800,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's second largest. It is a completely voluntary service and though there is a provision for military draft in the Indian constitution, it has never been imposed.
The Indian Army was formed soon after India gained independence in 1947 and retained most of the regiments of the British Indian Army. The Army is deployed in many of the world's conflict zones as a part of the United Nations Peacekeeping forces. The force is currently headed by the Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor. The Field Marshal is the highest attainable rank in the Indian Army and it is awarded by the President of India, on advise of the Union Government, only in exceptional circumstances. So far, only two officers have attained this rank.
Objectives
The Indian Army doctrine defines the role of the Indian Army as - "The Indian Army is the land component of the Indian Armed Forces which exist to uphold the ideals of the Constitution of India." As a major component of national power, along with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the roles of the Indian Army are as follows :
- Primary: Preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war.
- Secondary: Assist Government agencies to cope with ‘proxy war’ and other internal threats and provide aid to civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose."
History
Upon India gaining independence in 1947, the British Indian Army was divided into two parts to serve the newly created nations of Union of India and Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Most units went to India; four Gurkha regiments were transferred to the British Army while the rest went to India.
First Kashmir War (1947)
Almost immediately after independence, tensions between India and Pakistan began to boil over, and the first of three full-scale wars between the two nations broke out over the then princely state of Kashmir. Upon the Maharaja of Kashmir's reluctance to accede to either India or Pakistan, an impatient Pakistan sponsored a 'tribal' invasion of parts of Kashmir. The men are alleged by India to have also included Pakistan army regulars. Soon after, Pakistan sent in its troops to annex the state. The Maharaja, Hari Singh, appealed to India, and to Lord Mountbatten -- the Governor General -- for help, but it was pointed out to him that India saw no reason to do so. He signed the Instrument of Accession and Kashmir unilaterally acceded to India (a decision ratified by Britain but never accepted by Pakistan). Immediately after, Indian troops were airlifted into Srinagar and repelled the invaders. This contingent included General Thimayya who distinguished himself in the operation and in years that followed, became a Chief of the Indian Army. An intense war was waged across the state and former comrades found themselves fighting each other. Both sides made some territorial gains and also suffered significant losses
An uneasy UN sponsored peace returned by the end of 1948 with Indian and Pakistani soldiers facing each other directly on the Line of Control, which has since divided Indian from Pakistani-held Kashmir. Tensions between India and Pakistan, largely over Kashmir, have never since been entirely eliminated.
Participation in UN peace-keeping operations
Presently, the Indian army has dedicated one brigade of troops to the UN's standby arrangements. The large number of sustained troop commitments made by India has been praised for taking part in long and difficult operations.
The Indian Army has participated in several UN peace-keeping operations, including the ones in Angola, Cambodia, Cyprus, Congo, El Salvador, Namibia, Lebanon, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Srilanka & Vietnam. The army had also provided a paramedical unit to facilitate the withdrawal of the sick and wounded in Korea.
Inclusion of Hyderabad (1948)
After the partition of India, the State of Hyderabad, a princely-state under the rule of a Nizam, chose to remain independent. The Nizam, refused to accede his state to the Union of India. The following stand-off between the Government of India and the Nizam ended on 12 September 1948 when India's then deputy-Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel ordered Indian troops to secure the state. Within 5 days of intense fighting, the Indian Army, backed by the Indian Air Force, successfully defeated Hyderabad State forces. The following day, the State of Hyderabad was proclaimed as a part of the Union of India. Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri, who led the Operation Polo was appointed the Military Governor of Hyderabad (1948-1949) to restore law and order.
Goa, Daman and Diu Operation (1961)
Even though the British and French vacated all their colonial possessions in the Indian subcontinent, Goa, Daman and Diu remained under Portuguese control. On 12 December, 1961, after repeated Portuguese refusals to negotiate their leaving, New Delhi launched Operation Vijay and ordered a small contingent of its troops to invade the Portuguese territories and secure them. Unable to withstand the assault that lasted twenty-six hours, Goa, along with Daman and Diu (enclaves lying to the north of Maharashtra) joined India.
Sino-Indian Conflict (1962)
Since 1959, India followed a "forward policy" under which Indian border patrol units continuously pushed their posts forward deep into territory claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Small-scale clashes between the Indian and Chinese forces broke out as India insisted on the disputed McMahon Line being regarded as the international border between the two countries. Despite heavy casualties, Chinese troops did not retaliate the cross-border firing by Indian troops. China's misinterpretation of India's true intentions in Tibet created more rifts between the two countries.
Buoyed by the success of its military operations in Hyderabad and Goa, India took a more aggressive stance towards its border disputes with China. In 1962, the Indian Army was ordered to move to the Thag La ridge located near the border between Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and about three miles (5 km) north of the disputed McMahon Line. Meanwhile, Chinese troops too had made incursions into Indian-held territory and tensions between the two reached a new high when Indian forces discovered a road constructed by China in Aksai Chin. After a series of failed negotiations, People's Liberation Army attacked Indian Army positions at the Thag La ridge. This move by China caught India by surprise and by October 12, 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 mobilize the Indian Air Force in vast numbers gave China a crucial tactical and strategic advantage over India. On October 20, Chinese soldiers attacked India in both the North-West and North-Eastern parts of the border and captured vast 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 peaceful 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 that it had staked diplomatic claim upon. The dividing line between the Indian and Chinese forces was christened as the Line of Actual Control.
The poor decisions made by India's military commanders raised several questions. The Henderson-Brooks committee was soon set up by the Government of India to determine the causes of the poor performance of the Indian Army. The report of committee apparently faulted much of the command of Indian Armed Forces and severely criticized the executive government for its failures on several fronts. The committee found that the major reason for the defeat was low deployment of troops on India's border with China even after hostilities began and also criticized the decision to not allow the Indian Air Force to target Chinese transport lines out of fear of Chinese aerial counter-attack on Indian civilian areas. Much of the blame was also targeted at the incompetence of then Defense Minister, Krishna Menon who resigned from his post soon after the war ended. Despite frequent calls for its release, the Henderson-Brooks report still remains classified.
Second Kashmir War (1965)
A second confrontation with Pakistan took place in 1965, largely over Kashmir. Pakistani President Ayub Khan launched Operation Gibraltar in August 1965 during which several Pakistani paramilitary troops infiltrated into Indian-administered Kashmir and tried to spark an anti-India rebellion. Pakistani leaders believed that India, which was still recovering from the disastrous Sino-Indian War, would be unable to deal with a military thrust and rebellion. However, the operation was a major failure since the Kashmiri people showed little support for such a rebellion and India quickly moved forces to drive the infiltrators out. Within a fortnight of the launch of the Indian counter-attack, most of the infiltrators had retreated back to Pakistan. Battered by the failure of Operation Gibraltar and expecting a major invasion by Indian forces across the border, Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam on September 1, invading India's Chamb-Jaurian sector. In retaliation, the India's Army launched major offensive throughout its border with Pakistan, with Lahore as its prime target. Though the Indian Army's break through of the final phases of Pakistani defense was considerably delayed due to logistical issues, the conflict was largely seen as a debacle for the Pakistani Army.
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 September 9, the Indian Army had made considerable in-roads into Pakistan. India had its largest haul of Pakistani tanks when the offensive of Pakistan's 1 Armoured Division was blunted at the Battle of Asal Uttar which took place on September 10 near Khemkaran. Six Pakistani Armoured Regiments took part in the battle against three Indian Armoured Regiments with inferior tanks. By the time the battle had ended, the 4th Indian Division had captured about 97 Pakistani tanks in either destroyed, or damaged, or in intact condition. This included 72 Patton tanks and 25 Chafees and Shermans. 32 of the 97 tanks, including 28 Pattons, were in running condition. In comparison, the Indians lost only 32 tanks at Khemkaran-Bhikkiwind. About fifteen of them were captured by the Pakistan Army, mostly Sherman tanks. Pakistan's overwhelming defeat at the decisive battle of Assal Uttar hastened the end of the conflict.
At the time of ceasefire declaration, India reported 12,500 casualties of whom about 3,000 were killed, 8,400 were wounded and 1,100 were either taken as prisoners of war or were missing. On the other hand, it was estimated that about 3,800 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the battle, 9,000 were wounded and about 2,000 were taken as prisoners of war. About 200 Pakistani tanks were either destroyed or captured by India and an additional 150 were permanently put out of service. India lost a total of 190 tanks during the conflict and about 200 more had to undergo repair. In all, India lost about half as many tanks as Pakistan lost during the war. Given India's advantageous position at the end of the war, the decision to return back to pre-war positions, following the Tashkent Declaration, caused an outcry among the polity in New Delhi. It was widely believed that India's decision to accept the ceasefire was due to political, and not military, factors since it was facing considerable pressure from the United States and the UN to stop hostilities. .
Bangladesh Liberation War (1971)
An independence movement broke out in East Pakistan which was brutally crushed by Pakistani forces. Due to large-scale atrocities against them, thousands of Bengalis took refuge in neighboring India causing a major refugee crisis there. In early 1971, India declared its full-support for the Bengali rebels, known as Mukti Bahini, and Indian agents were extensively involved in covert operations to aid them.
On November 20, 1971, Indian Army moved the 14 Punjab Battalion and 45 Cavalry into Garibpur, a strategically important town near India's border with East Pakistan, 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 pre-emptive strike on Indian military positions near its border with East Pakistan on December 3. The aerial operation, however, failed to accomplish its stated objectives and caused India to declare a full-scale war against Pakistan the same day. By midnight, the Indian Army, accompanied by Indian Air Force, launched major military thrust into East Pakistan. The Indian Army won several battles on the eastern front including the decisive of battle of Hilli, which was the only front where the Pakistani Army was able to buildup considerable resistance. India's massive early gains was largely attributed to the speed and flexibility with which Indian armored divisions moved across East Pakistan.
on top of a knocked out Pakistani Patton tank.]]
Pakistan launched a counter-attack against India on the western front. On December 4, 1971, the A company of the 23rd Battalion of India's Punjab Regiment detected and intercepted the movement of the 51st Infantry Division of the Pakistani Army near Ramgarh, Rajasthan. The battle of Longewala ensued during which the A company, though being 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, 34 Pakistani tanks and 50 armored vehicles were either destroyed or abandoned. About 200 Pakistani troops were killed in action during the battle while only 2 Indian soldiers lost their lives. Pakistan suffered another major defeat on the western front during the battle of Basantar which was fought from December 4 to 16th. By the end of the battle, about 66 Pakistani tanks were destroyed and 40 more were captured. In return, Pakistani forces were able to destroy only 11 Indian tanks. None of the numerous Pakistani offensives on the Western front materialized. By December 16, Pakistan had lost sizable territory on both eastern and western fronts.
Under the command of Lt. General J.S Aurora, the three corps of the Indian Army, who had invaded East Pakistan, entered Dhaka and forced Pakistani forces to surrender on 16 December, 1971, 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 took more than 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war, which included about 38,000 armed forces personnel and 52,000 militia and bureaucrats of West Pakistani origin. At the time of the signing of the Instrument of Surrender, 9,000 Pakistani soldiers were killed-in-action while India suffered only 2,500 battle-related deaths. In addition, Pakistan lost 200 tanks during the battle compared to India's 80.
In 1972, the Simla Agreement was signed between the two countries and tensions simmered. However, there were occasional spurts in diplomatic tensions which culminated into increased military vigilance on both sides.
Siachen conflict (1984)
of the Indian Army takes part in a military exercise. The Mi-8 was used extensively to airlift Indian troops during Operation Meghdoot.]]
The Siachen Glacier, though a part of the Kashmir region, is not officially demarcated. As a consequence, prior to the 1980s, neither India nor Pakistan maintained permanent military presence in the region. However, Pakistan started hosting a series of mountaineering expeditions to the glacier during the 1950s. By early 1980s, the government of Pakistan was granting special expedition permits to mountaineers and United States Army maps deliberately showed Siachen as a part of Pakistan. This practice gave rise to the contemporary meaning of the term oropolitics.
An irked India launched Operation Meghdoot in April 1984 during which the entire Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army was airlifted to the glacier. Pakistani forces responded quickly and clashes between the two followed. Indian Army secured the strategic Sia La and Bilafond La mountain passes and by 1985, more than 1000 sq. miles of territory, claimed by Pakistan, was under Indian control. The Indian Army continues to control more than 2/3rd of the glacier. Pakistan made several unsuccessful attempts to regain control over Siachen. In late 1987, Pakistan mobilized about 8,000 troops and garrisoned them near Khapalu, aiming to capture Bilafond La. However, they were thrown back after engaging the Indian Army personnel guarding Bilafond. During the battle, about 23 Indian soldiers lost their lives while more than 150 Pakistani troops perished. Further unsuccessful attempts to reclaim positions were launched by Pakistan in 1990, 1995, 1996 and 1999.
India continues to maintain a strong military presence in the region despite extremely inhospitable conditions and the conflict over Siachen is regularly cited as an example of mountain warfare. The highest peak in the Siachen glacier region, Siakangri, is strategically important for India because its immense altitude and proximity to the Karakoram Highway enables the Indian forces to keep check on any Pakistani or Chinese movement in the region. Maintaining control over Siachen poses several logistical challenges for the Indian Army. Several infrastructure projects were constructed in the region, including a helipad 21,000 feet (6,400 m) above the sea level. In 2004, Indian Army was spending an estimated US$2 million a day to support its personnel stationed in the region.
Counter-insurgency activities
The Indian Army has played a crucial role in the past, fighting insurgents and terrorists within the nation. The army launched Operation Bluestar and Operation Woodrose in the 1980s to combat Sikh insurgents. The army, along with some paramilitary forces, has the prime responsibility of maintaining law and order in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir region. The Indian Army also sent a contingent to Sri Lanka in 1987 as a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.
Kargil conflict (1999)
In 1998, India carried out nuclear tests and a few days later, Pakistan responded by more nuclear tests giving both countries nuclear deterrence capability. Diplomatic tensions eased after the Lahore Summit was held in 1999. The sense of optimism was short-lived, however, since in mid-1999 Pakistani paramilitary forces and Kashmiri insurgents captured deserted, but strategic, Himalayan heights in the Kargil district of India. These had been vacated by the Indian army during the onset of the inhospitable winter and were supposed to reoccupied in spring. The regular pakistani troops who took control of these areas received important support, both in the form of arms and supplies, from Pakistan. Some of the heights under their control, which also included the Tiger Hill, overlooked the vital Srinagar-Leh Highway (NH 1A), Batalik and Dras.
Once the scale of the Pakistani incursion was realized, the Indian Army quickly mobilized about 200,000 troops and Operation Vijay was launched. However, since the heights were under Pakistani control, India was in a clear strategic disadvantage. From their observation posts, the Pakistani forces had a clear line-of-sight to lay down indirect artillery fire on NH 1A, inflicting heavy casualties on the Indians. This was a serious problem for the Indian Army as the highway was its main logistical and supply route. Thus, the Indian Army's first priority was to recapture peaks that were in the immediate vicinity of NH1a. This resulted in Indian troops first targeting the Tiger Hill and Tololing complex in Dras. 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 NH1a, was successfully recaptured by Indian forces on on June 14.
Though most of the posts in the vicinity of the highway were cleared by mid-June, some parts of the highway near Drass witnessed sporadic shelling until the end of the war. Once NH1a area was cleared, the Indian Army turned to driving the invading force back across the Line of Control. The Battle of Tololing, among other assaults, slowly tilted the combat in India's favor. Nevertheless, some of the posts put up a stiff resistance, including Tiger Hill (Point 5140) that fell only later in the war. As the operation was fully underway, about 250 artillery guns were brought in to clear the infiltrators in the posts that were in the line-of-sight. In many vital points, neither artillery nor air power could dislodge the outposts manned by 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 ascent that had to be made on peaks as high as 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Two months into the conflict, Indian troops had slowly retaken most of the ridges they had lost; according to official count, an estimated 75%–80% of the intruded area and nearly all high ground was back under Indian control.
Following the Washington accord on July 4, 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 for all extremist groups) rejected Pakistan's plan for a climb-down, instead deciding to fight on. The Indian Army launched its final attacks in the last week of July; as soon as the Drass subsector had been cleared of Pakistani forces, the fighting ceased on July 26. The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. By the end of the war, India had resumed control of all territory south and east of the Line of Control, as was established in July 1972 per the Shimla Accord. By the time all hostilities had ended, the number of Indian soldiers killed during the conflict stood at 527 while more than 700 regular members of the Pakistani army were killed. The number of Islamist fighters, also known as Mujahideen, killed by Indian Armed Forces during the conflict stood at about 3,000.
Major Exercises
tanks take part during an exercise in the Thar Desert.]]
Operation Parakram
After the December 13 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, Operation Parakram was launched in which tens of thousands of Indian troops were deployed along the Indo-Pakistan border. India blamed Pakistan for backing the attack. The operation was the largest military exercise carried out by any Asian country. Its prime objective is still unclear but appears to have been to prepare the army for any future nuclear conflict with Pakistan, which seemed increasingly possible after the December attack on the Indian parliament.
Operation Sanghe Shakti
It has since been stated that the main goal of this exercise was to validate mobilisation strategies of the Ambala-based II Strike Corps. Air support was a part of this exercise, and an entire battalion of paratroops was paradropped during the conduct of the war games, with allied equipment. Some 20,000 soldiers took part in the exercise.
Exercise Ashwamedha
Indian Army tested its network centric warfare capabilities in the exercise Ashwamedha. The exercise was held in the Thar desert, in which over 300,000 troops participated.. Asymmetric warfare capability was also tested by the Indian Army during the exercise.
Structure of the Indian Army
Initially, the army's main objective was to defend the nation's frontiers. However, over the years, the army has also taken up the responsibility of providing internal security, especially in insurgent-hit Kashmir and north-east.
The army has a strength of about a million troops and fields 34 divisions. Its headquarters is located in the Indian capital New Delhi and it is under the overall command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), currently General Deepak Kapoor.
Commands
The army operates 6 tactical commands . Each command is headed by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Lieutenant General. Each command is directly affiliated to the Army HQ in New Delhi. These commands are given below in their correct order of raising, location (city) and their commanders. There is also one training command known as ARTRAC.
| Command | Command HQ | GOC-in-C |
|---|
|
| Southern Command | Pune | Lt Gen Pradeep Khanna, AVSM, VSM | | Eastern Command | Kolkata | Lt. Gen. V K Singh,PVSM, AVSM, YSM | | Central Command | Lucknow | Lt Gen. J K Mohanty, PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM | | Western Command | Chandimandir (Chandigarh) | Lt. Gen. TK Sapru, PVSM, YSM | | Northern Command | Udhampur | Lt Gen P C Bhardwaj, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, SC, VSM | | South Western Command | Jaipur | Lt Gen C K S Sabu, AVSM, VSM | |
Corps
Field formation
A Corps is an army field formation responsible for a sector within a Command. There are 3 types of Corps in the Indian Army: Strike, Holding & Mixed. A Command generally consists of 2 or more Corps. A corps has Army Divisions under its command. The Corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.
| Corps | Head Quarter | Command | General Officer Commanding (GOC) | Divisions |
|---|
|
| 1 Corps | Mathura, Uttar Pradesh | Central Command | Lt. Gen. | 4 Inf Div (Allahabad), 6 Mtn Div (Bareilly), 33 Armd Div (Hisar) | | 2 Corps | Ambala, Haryana | Western Command | Lt. Gen. | 1 Armd Div (Ambala), 14 RAPID (Dehradun), 22 Inf Div (Meerut) | | 3 Corps | Rangapahar (Dimapur), Nagaland | Eastern Command | Lt. Gen. Rakesh Kumar Loomba, AVSM | 23 Inf Div (Ranchi), 57 Mtn Div (Leimakhong) | | 4 Corps | Tezpur, Assam | Eastern Command | Lt. Gen. K T Parnaik, VSM | 2 Mtn Div (Dibrugarh), 5 Mtn Div (Bomdila), 21 Mtn Div (Rangia) | | 9 Corps | Yol, Himachal Pradesh | Western Command | Lt. Gen. Vinay Sharma, AVSM, SM, VSM | 26 Inf Div (Jammu), 29 Inf Div (Pathankot), 2,3,16 Ind Armd Bdes | | 10 Corps | Bhatinda, Punjab | Western Command | Lt.Gen | 16 Inf Div (Sri Ganganagar), 18 RAPID (Kota), 24 RAPID (Bikaner), 6 Ind Armd Bde, Engr Bde | | 11 Corps | Jalandhar, Punjab | Western Command | Lt. Gen. V S Tonk | 7 Inf Div (Ferozpur), 9 Inf Div (Meerut), 15 Inf Div (Amritsar), 23 Armd Bde, 55 Mech Bde | | 12 Corps | Jodhpur, Rajasthan | South Western Command | Lt Gen | 4 Armd Bde, 340 Mech Bde, 11 Inf Div (Ahmedabad), 12 Inf Division (Jodhpur) | | 14 Corps | Leh, Ladakh | Northern Command | Lt Gen V K Ahluwalia, AVSM, YSM, VSM | 3 Inf Div (Leh), 8 Mtn Div (Dras), artillery brigade | | 15 Corps | Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir | Northern Command | Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh, AVSM, SM, VSM | 19 Inf Div (Baramulla), 28 Inf Div (Gurez, Bandipora District), artillery brigade | | 16 Corps | Nagrota, Jammu & Kashmir | Northern Command | Lt Gen R K Swamy, AVSM, VSM | 10 Inf Div (Akhnoor), 25 Inf Div (Rajauri), 39 Inf Div (Yol), artillery brigade, armoured brigade? | | 21 Corps(ex IPKF) | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | Southern Command | Lt. Gen. A S Lamba, AVSM | 31 Armd Div (Jhansi), 36 RAPID (Sagar), 54 Inf Div (Sikandrabad), Arty Bde, AD Bde, Engr Bde | | 33 Corps | Siliguri, West Bengal | Eastern Command | Lt Gen P K Rath, AVSM | 17 Mtn Div (Gangtok), 20 Mtn Div (Binnaguri, Jalpaiguri district), 27 Mtn Div (Kalimpong), arty bde | |
Regimental Organisation
In addition to this (not to be confused with the Field Corps mentioned above) are the Regiments or Corps or departments of the Indian Army. The corps mentioned below are the functional divisions entrusted with specific pan-Army tasks.
Other Field Formations
- Division: An Army Division is an intermediate between a Corps and a Brigade. It is the largest striking force in the army. Each Division is headed by [General Officer Commanding] (GOC) in the rank of Major General. It usually consists of 15,000 combat troops and 8,000 support elements. Currently, the Indian Army has 34 Divisions including 4 RAPID (Re-organised Army Plains Infantry Divisions) Action Divisions, 18 Infantry Divisions, 10 Mountain Divisions, 3 Armoured Divisions and 2 Artillery Divisions. Each Division composes of several Brigades.
- Brigade: The Brigade is smaller than the Division and generally consists of 3 Infantry Battalions along with elements of various Combat & Support Arms & Services. It is headed by a Brigadier equivalent to a Brigadier General. The Indian Army also has 5 Independent Armoured Brigades, 15 Independent Artillery Brigades, 7 Independent Infantry Brigades, 1 Independent Parachute Brigade,3 Independent Air Defence Brigades, 2 Independent Air Defence Groups and 4 Independent Engineer Brigades. These Independent Brigades operate directly under the Corps Commander (GOC Corps).
- Battalion: A Battalion is commanded by a Colonel and is the Infantry's main fighting unit. It consists of more than 900 personnel.
- Company: Headed by the Major, a Company comprises 120 soldiers.
- Platoon: An intermediate between a Company and Section, a Platoon is headed by a Lieutenant or depending on the availability of Commissioned Officers, a Junior Commissioned Officer, with the rank of Subedar or Naib-Subedar. It has a total strength of about 32 troops.
- Section: Smallest military outfit with a strength of 10 personnel. Commanded by a Non-commissioned officer of the rank of Havildar Major or Sergeant Major.
Regiments
Infantry Regiments
There are several battalions or units under the same formation in a Regiment. The Gurkha Regiment, for instance, has several battalions. All formations under a Regiment are battalions of the same arms or Corps (i.e., Infantry or Engineers). Regiments are not exactly field formations; they mostly do not make a formation. All Regiments of the Gurkha's for instance would not fight together as one formation, but can be dispersed over various Brigades or Corps or even Commands.
Artillery Regiments
The Regiment of Artillery constitutes a formidable operational arm of Indian Army. Historically it takes its lineage from Moghul Emperor Babur who is popularly credited with introduction of Artillery in India, in the Battle of Panipat in 1526. However evidence of earlier use of gun by Bahmani Kings in the Battle of Adoni in 1368 and King Mohammed Shah of Gujrat in fifteenth century have been recorded.
Indian Army Staff
Strength
* includes 300,000 1st line troops and 500,000 2nd line troops
** includes 40,000 1st line troops and 160,000 2nd line troops
Statistics
- 4 RAPID (Reorganised Army Plains Infantry Divisions)
- 18 Infantry Divisions
- 10 Mountain Divisions
- 3 Armoured Divisions
- 2 Artillery Divisions
- 13 Air Defence Brigades + 2 Surface-to-Air Missile Groups
- 5 Independent Armoured Brigades
- 15 Independent Artillery Brigades
- 7 Independent Infantry Brigades
- 1 Parachute Brigade
- 4 Engineer Brigades
- 14 Army Aviation Helicopter Units
Sub-Units
- 63 Tank Regiments
- 7 Airborne Battalions
- 200 Artillery Regiments
- 360 Infantry Battalions + 5 Para (SF) Battalions
- 40 Mechanised Infantry Battalions
- 20 Combat Helicopter Units
- 52 Air Defence Regiments
Rank Structure
of the Indian Army take position outside a simulated combat town during a training exercise.]]
The various rank of the Indian Army are listed below in descending order:
Commissioned Officers
Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs)
- Subedar Major/Honorary Captain3
- Subedar/Honorary Lieutenant3
- Subedar Major
- Subedar
- Naib Subedar
war memorial in Delhi.]]
Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs)
- Regimental Havildar Major2
- Regimental Quarter Master Havildar2
- Company Havildar Major
- Company Quarter Master Havildar
- Havildar
- Naik
- Lance Naik
- Sepoy
Note:
•1. Only two officers have been made Field Marshall so far: Field Marshal K M Cariappa the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (a post since abolished) and Field Marshal S H F J Manekshaw, the Chief of Army Staff during the Army in the 1971 war with Pakistan.
•2. This has now been discontinued. Non-Commissioned Officers in the rank of Havildar are elible for Honorary JCO ranks.
•3. Given to Outstanding JCO's Rank and pay of a Lieutenant, role continues to be of a JCO.
Combat Doctrine
The current combat doctrine of the Indian Army is based on effectively utilizing holding formations and strike formations. In the case of an attack, the holding formations would contain the enemy and strike formations would counterattack to neutralize enemy forces. In the case of an Indian attack, the holding formations would pin enemy forces down whilst the strike formations attack at a point of Indian choosing. The Indian Army is large enough to devote several corps to the strike role. Currently, the army is also looking at enhancing its special forces capabilities.
Equipment
]]
]]
Most of the army equipment is imported, but efforts are being made to manufacture indigenous equipment. All Indian Military Firearms guns are manufactured under the umbrella administration of the Ordnance Factory Board, with principal Firearm manufacturing facilities in Ishapore, Cossipore, Kanpur, Jabalpur and Tiruchirapalli. Indian National Small Arms System (INSAS) rifle, which is successfully inducted by Indian Army since 1997 is a product of Rifle Factory, Ishapore. While ammunition is manufactured at Khadki and possibly at Bolangir.
Aircraft
- This is a list of aircraft of the Indian Army. For the list of aircraft of the Indian Air Force, see List of aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Army operates more than 200 helicopters, plus additional unmanned aerial vehicles.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| HAL Dhruv || || utility helicopter || || ~115 || To acquire 120+ more Dhruv in next 5 years.
|-----
| Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III || || utility helicopter || SA 316B Chetak || 60 || to be replaced by Dhruv
|-----
| Aérospatiale SA 315 Lama || || utility helicopter || SA 315B Cheetah || 48 || to be replaced by Dhruv
|-----
| DRDO Nishant || || reconnaissance UAV || || 12 || Delivered 12 UAV's in 2008.
|-----
| IAI Searcher II || || reconnaissance UAV || || 100+ ||
|-----
| IAI Heron II || || reconnaissance UAV || || 50+ ||
|}
The Indian army had projected a requirement for a helicopter that can carry loads of up to 75 kg heights of on the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir. Flying at these heights poses unique challenges due to the rarefied atmosphere. The Indian Army chose the Eurocopter AS 550 for a $550 million contract for 197 light helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs, some of which were inducted more than three decades ago.
The deal has however been scrapped amidst allegations of corruption during the bidding process.
Recipients of the Param Vir Chakra
Listed below are the most notable people to have received the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military decoration of the Indian Army.
| Major Som Nath Sharma | 4th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment | November 3, 1947 | Badgam, Kashmir, India | | Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane | Corps of Engineers | April 8, 1948 | Naushera, Kashmir, India | | Naik Jadu Nath Singh | 1st Battalion, Rajput Regiment | February 1948 | Naushera, Kashmir, India | | Company Havildar Major Piru Singh | 6th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles | July 17/18, 1948 | Tithwal, Kashmir, India | | Lance Naik Karam Singh | 1st Battalion, Sikh Regiment | October 13, 1948 | Tithwal, Kashmir, India | | Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria | 3rd Battalion, 1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) | December 5, 1961 | Elizabethville, Katanga, Congo | | Major Dhan Singh Thapa | 1st Battalion, 8th Gorkha Rifles | October 20, 1962 | Ladakh, India | | Subedar Joginder Singh | 1st Battalion, Sikh Regiment | October 23, 1962 | Tongpen La, Northeast Frontier Agency, India | | Major Shaitan Singh | 13th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment | November 18, 1962 | Rezang La | | Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid | 4th Battalion, The Grenadiers | September 10, 1965 | Chima, Khem Karan Sector | | Lieutenant-Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore | 17th Poona Horse | October 15, 1965 | Phillora, Sialkot Sector, Pakistan | | Lance Naik Albert Ekka | 14th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards | December 3, 1971 | Gangasagar | | 2/Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal | 17th Poona Horse | December 16, 1971 | Jarpal, Shakargarh Sector | | Major Hoshiar Singh | 3rd Battalion, The Grenadiers | December 17, 1971 | Basantar River, Shakargarh Sector | | Naib Subedar Bana Singh | 8th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry | June 23, 1987 | Siachen Glacier, Jammu and Kashmir | | Major Ramaswamy Parmeshwaran | 8th Battalion, Mahar Regiment | November 25, 1987 | Sri Lanka | | Captain Vikram Batra | 13th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles | July 6, 1999 | Point 5140, Point 4875, Kargil Area | | Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey | 1st Battalion, 11th Gorkha Rifles | July 3, 1999 | Khaluber/Juber Top, Batalik sector, Kargil area, Jammu and Kashmir | | Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav | 18th Battalion, The Grenadiers | July 4, 1999 | Tiger Hill, Kargil area | | Rifleman Sanjay Kumar | 13th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles | July 5, 1999 | Area Flat Top, Kargil Area | |
Future developments
India is currently reorganising their mechanised forces to achieve strategic mobility and high-volume firepower for rapid thrusts into enemy territory. India has plans to progressively induct as many as 1,657 Russian-origin T-90S main-battle tanks (MBTs), apart from the ongoing upgradation of its T-72 fleet. the Indian Army has gone in for an urgent order of 4,100 French-origin Milan-2T anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). Defence ministry sources said the Rs 592-crore (USD 120 million approx.) order for 4,100 Milan-2T missiles was cleared after 26/11, with the government finally fast-tracking several military procurement plans.
See also
External links
|
| |
|
|
