Indian Armed Forces
भारतीय सशस्त्र सेनाएं
The
Indian Armed Forces (Devanāgarī: भारतीय सशस्त्र सेनाएं, Bhāratīya
Saśastra Sēnāēṃ) is the overall unified military of the Republic of
India
encompassing the Indian
Army, the Indian Navy, the Indian Air Force and various other
inter-service institutions.
With an estimated total active force of 1,414,000 personnel, India
maintains the world's
third largest armed
forces.
Auxiliary services include
the
Indian Coast Guard, the
Central Paramilitary
Forces (CPF) and the
Strategic Forces Command. India's
official defense budget stands at
$32.35 billion
but the actual spending on the armed forces is estimated to be much
higher than that. Undergoing rapid expansion and modernization, the
Indian Armed Forces plans to have an active military space program
and is currently developing a potent
missile defense
shield and
nuclear triad
capability.
India is moving to build a $2 billion or Rs 9,970.16 crore
dedicated,highly secure and state-of-the-art
optical fiber cable (OFC) network for
the Army, Navy and Air Force.This will be one of the world’s
largest, closed user group (CUG) networks for exclusive use by the
million-plus personnel of the Indian armed forces.
Military history of India
India
has a long
military history dating back several millennia. The first
reference of armies is found in the
Vedas and
the epics
Ramayana and
Mahabaratha.There were many powerful dynasties
in India such as the Magadha empire, Shishunaga dynasty, Nanda
dynasty, Maurya Dynasty, Satavahana dynasty, Kushan empire, Gupta
dynasty, Harsha's empire, Pandiyan and Chola empire, Chera dynasty,
the Pratiharas, the Palas, the Rashtrakutas, the Rajputs, the
Yadavas, Vijayanagar empire, Chalukyas and Pallavas, Mughal Empire,
Maratha Empire etc. Classical Indian texts on archery in
particular, and
martial arts in
general are known as
Dhanurveda.
India has a
maritime history
dating back to 5,000 years.
The first tidal dock is believed to have been
built at Lothal
around 2300
BCE during the Indus Valley
Civilization, near the present day Mangrol
harbour on
the Gujarat coast. The
Rig Veda
written around 1500 BCE, credits Varuna with knowledge of the ocean
routes and describes naval expeditions. There is reference to the
side wings of a vessel called Plava, which give stability to the
ship under storm conditions. A compass, Matsya yantra was used for
navigation in the fourth and fifth century AD.
The earliest known reference to an organization devoted to ships in
ancient India is to the
Mauryan
Empire from the 4th century BCE. Emperor
Chandragupta Maurya's Prime Minister
Kautilya's
Arthashastra devotes a full chapter on the
state department of waterways under
navadhyaksha (
Sanskrit for
Superintendent of ships) . The term,
nava
dvipantaragamanam (Sanskrit for sailing to other lands by
ships, i.e. Exploration) appears in this book in addition to
appearing in the Buddhist text,
Baudhayana Dharmasastra as
the interpretation of the term,
Samudrasamyanam.
Sea lanes between India and neighboring lands were the usual form
of trade for many centuries, and are responsible for the widespread
influence of Indian Culture on other societies.
Powerful navies
included those of the Maurya, Satavahana, Chola, Vijayanagara
, Kalinga
, Maratha and Moghul
empires . The
Cholas excelled in
foreign trade and maritime activity, extending their influence
overseas to China and Southeast Asia.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maratha and Kerala fleets
were expanded, and became the most powerful Naval Forces in the
subcontinent, even defeating European Navies at various times
(
See the Battle of
Colachel). The fleet review of the Maratha navy took place
at the Ratnagiri fort in which the ships Pal and Qalbat
participated. The
Maratha Kanhoji Angre and
Kunjali Marakkar, the Naval chief of
Saamoothiri were two notable naval
chiefs of the period.
Colonial Era
The
British Indian Navy was established by the British
while India was a colony. The
first Indian to be granted a commission was Sub Lieutenant D.N
Mukherji who joined the Royal Indian Marine as an engineer officer
in 1928. Indian sailors started a rebellion also known as the
The Royal Indian Navy
mutiny, in 1946 on board ships and shore establishments which
spread all over India. A total of 78 ships, 20 shore establishments
and 20,000 sailors were involved in the rebellion. When India
became a
republic on
26 January 1950, it became
known as the Indian Navy, and its vessels as Indian Naval Ships
(INS). On 22 April 1958 Vice Admiral R. D. Katari assumed office as
the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff.
Structure
The
headquarters of the Indian Armed Forces is in New
Delhi
, the capital
city of India. The
President
of India serves as the
de jure commander-in-chief of the armed forces
while the
de facto executive power is held by the
Union Government headed by the
Prime Minister of India. The
Ministry of Defence
(MoD) is the
ministry
charged with the responsibilities of countering insurgency and
ensuring external security of India.
Command organisation
Gen Kapoor is new head of Armed Forces Chiefs panel. The Indian
armed force are split into different groups based on their region
of operation. The Indian Army is administratively divided into 7
tactical commands, each under the control of different
Lieutenant Generals.The Indian Air Force
is divided into five operational and two functional
commands. Each Command is
headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Air
Marshal. The Indian Navy operates four
Commands. Each Command is
headed by a
Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief in the rank of
Vice
Admiral.
Doctrine
The Armed Forces have five main tasks:
- To assert the territorial integrity of India.
- To defend the country if attacked by a foreign nation.
- To send own amphibious
warfare equipment to take the battle to enemy
shores.
- To support the civil community in case of disasters (e.g. flooding).
- To deploy forces to international peace
support operations.
Personnel
Service branches
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the world's second largest army in terms of
military personnel, and the largest in terms of active manpower. It
is a completely voluntary service, the
military draft having never been imposed in
India. The army has rich combat experience in diverse terrains, due
to India's diverse geography, and also has a distinguished history
of serving in
United Nations peacekeeping operations. 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 force is headed by the
Chief of Army Staff of
the Indian Army, currently
Deepak
Kapoor. The highest rank in the Indian Army is
Field Marshal, but it is a largely ceremonial
rank and appointments are made by the
President of India, on the advice of the
Union Cabinet of Ministers,
only in exceptional circumstances. (See
Field Marshal ). Late General
S.H.F.J. Manekshaw and the late General
K.M. Cariappa are the
only two officers who have attained this rank.The
Indian Army has seen military action during the
First Kashmir War,
Operation Polo, the
Sino-Indian War, the
Second Kashmir War, the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the
Sri Lankan Civil War and the
Kargil War. Currently, the
Indian army has dedicated one
brigade of troops to the
UN's
standby arrangements. Through its large, sustained troop
commitments India has come in for much praise for taking part in
difficult operations for prolonged periods.
Indian Army has participated in several UN
peacekeeping operations, including the ones in
Cyprus
,
Lebanon
,
Congo
,
Angola
,
Cambodia
,
Vietnam
,
Namibia
,
El
Salvador
,
Liberia
,
Mozambique
and
Somalia
. The army
also provided a
paramedical unit to
facilitate the withdrawal of the sick and wounded in
Korea. The 1965 war resulted into a ceasefire
mandated by the United Nations on Indian request. However, it lost
much territory in the
Sino-Indian
War which till date it has not managed to gain.
The Indian Army has also started modernization program from 2012 to
2020 under
Futuristic
Infantry
Soldier
As a
System(
F-INSAS).
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the
naval branch of the
armed forces of India. With 55,000
men and women, including 5,000
naval
aviation personnel and 2,000
Marine
Commandos , it is the world's fifth largest navy.
The Indian Navy currently operates more than 155 vessels, including
the aircraft carrier
INS Viraat. In
recent years, India has started many ambitious projects to bolster
its maritime capabilities including efforts to acquire ships from
foreign countries.
In recent years, the Indian Navy has undergone extensive
modernization and expansion
with an intention to increase its capabilities as a recognized
blue-water navy. It is fairly
advanced in terms of technology and is in control of one of two
Asian
aircraft carriers. Two more
aircraft carriers are currently being produced. The ships of the
Indian Navy are of Indian and foreign origin. In addition, three
ballistic missile
submarine are to enter service by 2010 end. It is also only one
of the six navies in the world that has nuclear capabilities.
Others include US, Russia, China, France and the UK. In addition it
is in command of the
BrahMos which is the
fastest cruise missile in the world with speeds of 2.8
Mach.
In its maritime doctrine, the
Indian
Navy establishes its role in providing support to maritime
neighbors during natural disasters.
This was demonstrated during the Asian tsunami
crisis
during which the Indian Navy sent 35 ships to support relief
efforts in neighbouring countries. The Indian navy has taken
part in UN missions in the coast of Somalia and has provided
security to an African Union summit held in Mozambique.The Indian
Navy is increasing its capabilities as a true
blue-water navy; the Indian Navy's doctrine
states that this is for the collective good of nations.
Indian Navy is expected to spend about US$40 billion on military
modernization from 2008 to 2013.
The modernization program includes
INS Vikramaditya
,Vikrant
class aircraft carrier,P-8 Poseidon
,Arihant class nuclear-powered
submarines,Shivalik class
frigate,Kolkata class
destroyer,Scorpène
class submarine and Improved Talwar class frigate.
Indian Air Force
With a strength of approximately 170,000 personnel, 1,130 combat
and 1,700 non-combat aircraft in active service, the
Indian Air Force is the fourth largest
air force in the world. In recent years,
the IAF has undertaken an ambitious expansion and modernization
program and is increasingly used for India's power projection
beyond South Asia.
In its history, the IAF has generally relied
on Soviet
,
British,
Israeli
and French
military
craft and technology to support its growth. In recent times,
however, India has successfully made its own original aircraft,
including the HAL Tejas, a 4.5th
generation fighter, and the HAL Dhruv, a
multi-role helicopter, which has
been exported to many countries, including Israel, Burma
, Nepal
and Ecuador
.
India also maintains
UAV
squadrons which can be used to carry out ground attacks and aerial
surveillance.
India is testing its own long range
BVR air to air missile named
Astra and also building a Medium
Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) called
Rustom . India and Russia are building number
of next generation aircraft like 5th generation stealth aircraft
called
Fifth Generation Fighter
Aircraft and medium-lift military transport aircraft called
Multirole Transport Aircraft.
Indian Coast Guard
The Indian Coast Guard is the maritime Para Military Force
(PMF)created to guard Republic of India's vast coastline.
It was
created on 18 August 1978 as an independent entity as per the Coast
Guard Act. its primary objective is to guard India's vast
coastline and operates under the effective control of the Ministry
of Defense.
The coast guard works closely with the
Indian Navy and the Indian Customs Department,
and is usually headed by a naval officer of the rank of
Vice-Admiral. India's coast guard has a large number of fast craft
including
hovercrafts and
hydrofoils. They patrol the seas and
river mouths. The coast guard has performed a
number of commendable tasks of rescuing distressed personnel. It
has also apprehended
pirates on
high seas and cleaned up oil spills.
Heavy patrolling of
sensitive areas such as Karnataka
,Gujarat
, West Bengal
and Mumbai
have
resulted in the nabbing of a large number of smugglers and illegal immigrants.
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force (
BSF) is a
border patrol agency of the
Government of India.
Established on
December 1, 1965, it is a component of the paramilitary forces of India
(PMF) and its primary role is to guard India's
international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime. Like most
paramilitary units of India, the BSF is under the administrative
control of the
Ministry
of Home Affairs. It is one of the many
law enforcement agencies of
India.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police
The
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is an Indian paramilitary
force conceived on October 24, 1962 for security along the India's border with the
Tibet Autonomous Region of China
, border
covering 2115 kilometers.The border posts manned by ITBP are
exposed to high velocity storms, snow
blizzards, avalanches, and landslides, besides the hazards of high
altitude and extreme cold, where temperature dips up to minus 40
degree Celsius. ITBP conducts Long Range and Short Range
patrols to keep an effective vigil on inaccessible and unmanned
areas on the border.
Nuclear Command Authority
Agni missile range.
India possesses an
arsenal of nuclear weapons and
maintains a no-first use, non-use against non-nuclear nations and a
credible nuclear deterrence policy against nuclear
adversaries. India's nuclear missiles include the
Prithvi, the
Agni, the
Shaurya,
Sagarika,
Dhanush, and others. India has long range strategic bombers like
the
Tupolev Tu-22 M3 and
Tupolev Tu-142 as well as fighter jets like
Sukhoi Su-30MKI,
Dassault Mirage 2000 ,
MiG-29 and
HAL Tejas capable
of being armed with nuclear tipped bombs and missiles. Since India
doesn't have a nuclear first use against an adversary, it becomes
important to protect from a first strike. Presently, this
protection is provided by the two layered Anti-ballistic missile
defense system. The first test of
Agni-V,
which is a MIRVed ICBM is expected in the year 2010.India's
Strategic Nuclear Command
controls its land-based nuclear warheads, while the Navy controls
the ship and in future submarine based missiles and the Air Force
the air based warheads. India's nuclear warheads are deployed in
four areas:
- Ship based mobile, like Dhanush.(operational)
- Land-based mobile, like Agni.(operational)
- Submarine based, like Sagarika.(under
deployment)
- Air-based warheads of the Indian
Air Forces' strategic
bomber force(operational)
Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program
The
Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program is an
initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered Ballistic missile
defense system to protect India from missile
attacks.
Development
Launching of Advanced Air Defense
(AAD) missile
Phase 1
Development of ABM System began in 1999. Around 40 public and
private Companies were involved in the development of ABM System.
They include
Bharat
Electronics Ltd and
Bharat Dynamics
Ltd, Astra Microwave, ASL,
Larsen & Toubro, Vem Technologies
Private Limited and KelTech. Development of LRTR (Long Range
Tracking Radar) and MFCR (Multi-function Fire Control Radar) was
lead by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment
(ERDE).
For the AAD Missile System, Defence Research and Development
Laboratory (DRDL) developed the mission control software. Research
Centre, Imarat (RCI) developed navigation, electromechanical
actuation systems and Active Radar Seeker. Advanced System
Laboratory (ASL) provided the motors, jet vanes and structures for
the two missiles. High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL)
supplied the propellants for the missile.
Phase 2
- Two new anti-ballistic missiles that can intercept IRBM/ICBMs
are being developed. These high speed missiles (AD-1 and AD-2) are
being developed to intercept ballistic missiles with the range of
5000 km. The test trials of these two systems is expected to
take place in 2011. The new missile will be similar the THAAD missile deployed by the U.S.A
.
These missiles will have to travel at hypersonic speeds and will
require radars with scan capability of over 1500 kilometers to
successfully intercept the target.
- India is also planning to develop a laser based weapon system
as part of its Ballistic Missile Defence to intercept and destroy
missiles soon after they are launched towards the country. DRDO's
Air Defence Programme Director V K Saraswat says its ideal to
destroy a ballistic missile carrying nuclear or conventional
warhead in its boost phase. Saraswat further added that it will
take another 10–15 years for the premier defence research institute
to make it usable on the ground.
Security pacts and Overseas Bases
In 1958, the then-
Indian Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
visited Bhutan and reiterated India's support for Bhutan's
independence and later declared in the
Indian Parliament that any aggression
against Bhutan would be seen as aggression against India.
India
also operates the Farkhor Air
Base
in
Tajikistan
.India
started the process to bring the island country Maldives into
India’s security grid. India can use Iranian bases for war
with Pakistan. India is also one of three countries with whom Japan
has a security pact, the other being Australia and the United
States. India and Russia have a military cooperation pact until
2010 which is likely to be extended or renewed. India had signed a
pact to develop ports in Myanmar and various bilateral issues,
including economic cooperation, connectivity, security and energy.
India and Israel have increased cooperation in military and
intelligence ventures since the establishment of diplomatic
relations. While India and Israel were officially "rivals" during
the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of Islamic
terrorism in both countries have generated a solid strategic
alliance.
India has maritime security arrangement in
place with Oman
and
Qatar. In 2008, a landmark defense pact was signed, under
which India committed its military assets to protect "Qatar from
external threats".
Budget
Military spending of the world
India has the world's
9th largest
defense budget. In 2009, India's official military budget stood at
$32.7 billion. In 2004, the
GlobalSecurity.org estimated
India's budget to be around $100 billion in terms of
purchasing power parity (PPP).
According to
Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute, India's military budget
(PPP) stood at $72.7 billion in 2007. A major portion of India's
current defense budget is devoted to the ambitious modernization
program of the country's armed forces. Between 2007 and 2012, India
is expected to spend about $50 billion on the procurement of new
weapons.
Gallantry awards
The highest wartime gallantry award given by the Military of India
is the
Param Vir Chakra (PVC),
followed by the
Maha Vir Chakra
(MVC) and the
Vir Chakra (VrC). Its
peacetime equivalent is the
Ashoka
Chakra. The highest decoration for meritorious service is the
Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
Future
Analysis of the
Central
Intelligence Agency indicates that India is projected to
possess the fourth most capable concentration of power by 2015.
According to a report published by the
US
Congress, India is the developing world's leading arms
purchaser.
Recruitment and training
Recruitment is through four military related academies. These
include the
National
Defence Academy,
Indian
Military Academy ,
Indian Naval
Academy and Officers Training Academy. For entrance, one must
display that they are both physically and mentally fit to be in the
military by sitting examinations and undergoing medical checkups.
The complete list of institutions training Indian army were listed
in
Military academies in
India section.
Indian Peace Keeping And Anti-piracy Mission
India is regular contributor to
United
Nation Peacekeeping mission and
were other peacekeeping Mission.The troop-contributing to UN
peacekeeping operations as of March 2007 were 9,471. It also suffer
127 soldier died while serving on peacekeeping missions.
India
also provided army contingent performing a peacekeeping operation
in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990 as Indian Peace Keeping Force and In
November 1998, India also helped
restore government of Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom in Maldives
under
Operation Cactus.
Anti-piracy Mission
India sought to augment its naval force in the Gulf of Aden by
deploying the larger
INS
Mysore to patrol the area. Somalia also added India to
its list of states, including the U.S. and France, who are
permitted to enter its territorial waters, extending up to from the
coastline, in an effort to check piracy. An Indian naval official
confirmed receipt of a letter acceding to India's prerogative to
check such piracy. "We had put up a request before the Somali
government to play a greater role in suppressing piracy in the Gulf
of Aden in view of the United Nations resolution. The TFG
government gave its nod recently." India also expressed
consideration to deploy up to four more
warships in the region. And in response increased
activity of the
INS Tabar.
Relief Operation of IAF
Indian
Air Force provides regular relief operation for food and medical
facility around the World by its Cargo
aircraft most notably Ilyushin
Il-76.The most recent relief operation of IAF was in Sri
Lanka
.
See also
References
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Does not include members of the Indian Police Service
Further reading
External links
Indian
Army
Indian
Navy
Indian Air
Force
Indian
Coast Guard
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