Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of
the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme
Commander of the Indian Army,and it is commanded by the Chief of Army
Staff (COAS), who is a four-star general. Two officers have been conferred
with the rank of field marshal, a five-star rank, which is a ceremonial position
of great honour. The Indian Army originated from the armies of the East India
Company, which eventually became the British Indian Army, and the armies
of the princely states, which finally became the national army
after independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse
histories and have participated in a number of battles and campaigns across
the world, earning a large number of battle and theatre honours before and
after Independence.
The primary mission of the Indian Army is to ensure national security and
national unity, defending the nation from external aggression and internal
threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders. It conducts
humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other
disturbances, like 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 army
has been involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan and one with
China. Other major operations undertaken by the army include: Operation
Vijay, Operation Meghdoot and Operation Cactus. Apart from conflicts, the
army has conducted large peace time exercises like Operation
Brasstacks and Exercise Shoorveer, and it has also been an active
participant in numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions including
those in: Cyprus, Lebanon, Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, El
Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique and Somalia.
The Indian Army has a regimental system, but is operationally and
geographically divided into seven commands, with the basic field formation
being a division. It is an all-volunteer force and comprises more than 80% of
the country's active defence personnel. It is the 2nd largest standing army in
the world, with 1,237,117 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.
The Indian Air Force (IAF)is the air arm of the Indian armed forces.
Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks fourth amongst
the airforces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure
Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict. It
was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force
of the British Empire which honored India's aviation service during
World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence
from the United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force
was kept and served in the name of Dominion of India. With the
government's transition to a Republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was
removed after only three years. Since 1950 the IAF has been involved
in four wars with neighboring Pakistan and one with the People's
Republic of China. Other major operations undertaken by the IAF
include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot, Operation Cactus and
Operation Poomalai. The IAF's mission expands beyond engagement
with hostile forces, with the IAF participating in United Nations
peacekeeping missions.
The President of India holds the rank of Supreme Commander of the
IAF. As of 1 July 2017, 139,576 personnel are in service with the
Indian Air Force. The Chief of Air Staff, an air chief marshal, is a four-
star officer and is responsible for the bulk of operational command of
the Air Force. There is never more than one serving ACM at any given
time in the IAF. The rank of Marshal of the Air Force has been
conferred by the President of India on one occasion in history,
to Arjan Singh. On 26 January 2002 Singh became the first and so far,
only five-star rank officer of the forceThe Indian Air Force was
established on 8 October 1932 in British India as an auxiliary air
force of the Royal Air Force. The enactment of the Indian Air
Force Act 1932 stipulated out their auxiliary status and enforced
the adoption of the Royal Air Force uniforms, badges, brevets and
insignia. On 1 April 1933. When India became a republic in 1950,
the prefix 'Royal' was dropped from the Indian Air Force. At the
same time, the current IAF roundel was adopted. Its major role of
indo-china war at 1962,and india-pakistan war in (1965),
Bangladesh Liberation War (1971), kargil war in 1998.
Indian Navy
Indian navy traces its origins back to the East India Company's
Marine which was founded in 1612 to protect British merchant
shipping in the region. In 1793, the East India
Company established its rule over eastern part of the Indian
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces.
The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian
Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star Admiral, commands
the navy.
subcontinent i.e. Bengal, but it was not until 1830 that the colonial
navy was titled as His Majesty's Indian Navy. When India became
a republic in 1950, the Royal Indian Navy as it had been named
since 1934 was renamed to Indian Navy.
The primary objective of the navy is to safeguard the nation's
maritime borders, and in conjunction with other Armed Forces of
the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against
the territory, people or maritime interests of India, both in war and
peace. Through joint exercises, goodwill visits and humanitarian
missions, including disaster relief, Indian Navy promotes bilateral
relations between nations.
As of 1 July 2017, 67,228 personnel are in service with the
Navy. As of March 2018, the operational fleet consists of
one aircraft carrier, one amphibious transport dock, eight landing
ship tanks, 11 destroyers, 13 frigates, one nuclear-powered attack
submarine, one ballistic missile submarine, 14 conventionally-
powered attack submarines, 22 corvettes, one mine
countermeasure vessel, four fleet tankers and various
other auxiliary vessels. Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac
Hall headed the Navy as its first Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C)
post-Independence. When India became a republic on 26 January
1950, the Royal prefix was dropped and the name Indian
Navy was officially adopted. The prefix for naval vessels
was changed from His Majesty's Indian Ship (HMIS) to Indian
Naval Ship (INS). At the same time, the imperial crown in insignia
was replaced with the Lion Capital of Ashoka and the Union Jack
in the canton of the White Ensign was replaced with the Indian
Tricolour.
In the 21st century, the Indian Navy has played an important role
in maintaining peace for India on the maritime front, in spite of the
state of foment in its neighbourhood. It has been deployed for
humanitarian relief in times of natural disasters and crises across
the globe, as well as to keep India's maritime trade routes free
and open.

National Defence College of India located in New Delhi is the

highest seat of strategic learning for Indian Defence and Civil
Services officers of the rank of Brigadier and Joint Secretary to
Government of India. This is a very prestigious course attended
only by a few hand-picked defence officers of Brigadier (one-star
General) rank and from friendly foreign countries. Each year,
approximately 25 officers from countries like the USA, UK,
Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
UAE and others attend the course.[1]
This college provides strategic leadership to the government of
India in national and international security matters and also acts
as a think tank on defence matters and holds a very important
position in shaping up the Indian defence outlook.
The College is located on Tees January Road of Lutyen's Zone in
Delhi, in a grand British-era building spread over acres of lush
green lawns. It is adjacent to the home where Mahatma Gandhi
lived the last five months of his life, and the garden where he was
assassinated--the Gandhi Smriti. Residential facilities for the
officers are located in the central vista of Delhi, on Ashok Rajpath
near India Gate. The college commandant has a bunglow on the
Akbar Road called NDC House. it conducts a 47-week National
Security and Strategic Study course each year which commences
in the first week of January each year and finishes in the first
week of December. The entire course is divided in six subjects
spread over two terms. This course also involves extensive travel
within and outside the country to visit Indian states and foreign
countries where course members meet head of states and
important decision makers to understand the political, social and
strategic landscape of the state/country.

National Defence Academy

The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the Joint Services
academy of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three
services, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force train together
before they go on to respective service academies for further pre-
commissioning training. The NDA is located
at Khadakwasla near Pune, Maharashtra. It is the first tri-service
academy in the world.
NDA alumni have led and fought in every major conflict in which
the Indian Armed Forces has been called to action since the
academy was established. After the independence of India in Aug.
1947, the Chiefs of Staff Committee immediately implemented the
recommendations of the Auchinleck report. The committee
initiated an action plan in late 1947 to commission a permanent
defence academy and began the search for a suitable site. It also
decided to set up an interim training academy, known as the Joint
Services Wing (JSW), which was commissioned on 1 January
1949 at the Armed Forces Academy (now known as the Indian
Military Academy) in Dehradun. Initially, after two years of training
at the JSW, Army cadets went on to the Military wing of the AFA
for two years of further pre-commission training, while the Navy
and Air Force cadets were sent to Dartmouth and Cranwell in the
United Kingdom for further training. The foundation stone for the
academy was laid by then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal
Nehru on 6 October 1949. The National Defence Academy was
formally commissioned on 7 December 1954, with an
inauguration ceremony held on 16 January 1955.[4] The JSW
program was transferred from the IMA to the NDA.
The NDA campus is located about 17 km south-west of Pune city,
north-west of Khadakwasla Lake. It spans 7,015 acres
(28.39 km2) of the 8,022 acres (32.46 km2) donated by the
Government of the former Bombay State. Applicants to the NDA
are selected via a written exam conducted by the UPSC, followed
by extensive interviews by the SSB covering general aptitude,
psychological testing, team skills as well as physical and social
skills, along with medical tests. Incoming classes are accepted
twice a year for semesters starting in July and January. About
4,50,000 applicants sit for each written exam. Typically, about
6,300 of these are invited to interview. Only unmarried male
candidates are eligible for NDA & NA Examination. The minimum
age should be 16 and half years and maximum age should be 19
and half years. Applicants to join the Air Force also go through a
Pilot Aptitude Battery Test. About 320 cadets are accepted to the
academy each semester. About 70 cadets are accepted for the
Air Force, 42 for the Navy and 208 for the Army.
Cadets who are accepted and successfully complete the program
are sent to their respective training academies for one year of
training before granting of commission: army cadets go to Indian
Military Academy(IMA) at Dehradun, Air Force cadets to Air Force
Academy(AFA) at Dundigal, Hyderabad, and naval cadets
to Indian Naval Academy(INA), Ezhimala, Kerala. Alumni of the
academy have led and fought in every major conflict in which
India has participated since the academy was established. They
have an illustrious record of numerous gallantry awards and
achieving 3 Param Vir Chakras, 31 Maha Vir Chakras, 160 Vir
Chakra, 11 Ashok Chakras, 40 Kirti Chakras and 135 Shaurya
Chakras. 11 Chiefs of Army Staff, 10 Chiefs of Naval Staff and
4 Chiefs of Air Staff of the Indian Armed Forces have been NDA
alumni.