Indian Armed Forces: Difference between revisions

 

{{Use Indian English|date=May 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}

|native_name        = <!-- This was removed as per a [[Special:PermanentLink/863478855#What's with all this transliteration?|discussion]] at WikiProject India as an extension of [[MOS:IS]] -->

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|active            = 1,455,550<ref>[[#IISS2021|IISS 2021]], p. 259</ref>

|reserve            = 1,155,000<ref>[[#IISS2021|IISS 2021]], p. 259</ref>  

The Department of Defence Production of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] is responsible for the indigenous production of equipment used by the Indian Armed Forces. It comprises 16 [[List of public sector undertakings in India|Defence PSUs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Defence Public Sector Undertakings {{!}} Department of Defence Production |url=https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/defencepublicsectorundertakin/defence-public-sector-undertakings |access-date=4 November 2022 |website=www.ddpmod.gov.in}}</ref> India remains one of the [[Arms industry#World's largest arms importers|largest importer of defence equipment]] with Russia, Israel, France and the United States being the top foreign suppliers of military equipment.<ref name="iaf2">—{{cite web|title=End of an era: Israel replaces Russia as India's top military supplier|url=http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_military0246_03_25.asp|work=World Tribune|access-date=18 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813204853/http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_military0246_03_25.asp|archive-date=13 August 2011}}<br />—{{cite web|title=Russia Competing to Remain India's Top Military Supplier|url=http://www.india-defence.com/reports-3750#|publisher=India Defence|access-date=18 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818181155/http://www.india-defence.com/reports-3750%23|archive-date=18 August 2017}}<br />—{{cite web|last=Cohen |first=Stephen and Sunil Dasgupta |title=Arms Sales for India |url=http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2011/03_india_cohen_dasgupta.aspx |publisher=Brookings Institution |access-date=18 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309074634/http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2011/03_india_cohen_dasgupta.aspx |archive-date= 9 March 2011 }}</ref> The Government of India, as part of the [[Make in India]] initiative, seeks to indigenise manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports for defence.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Indigenisation in Defence|url=https://www.theindianhawk.com/2021/03/indigenisation-in-defence-indian.html|access-date=24 April 2021|website=Defence News: Indian Defence News, IDRW, Indian Armed Forces, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Air Force}}</ref>

During this period, the armed forces of India were involved in a number of significant military operations, notably the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]] and [[Operation Polo]], the code name of a military operation in September 1948 where the Indian Armed Forces invaded the [[Hyderabad State|State of Hyderabad]] and overthrew its Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union. On 15 January 1949, General [[K. M. Cariappa]] was appointed the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian army.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Vijay Kumar|last1=Singh|title=Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers|author-link = Vijay Kumar Singh|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7619-3322-9|publisher=SAGE }}</ref> In February 1949, the Indian government repealed colonial-era legislation which mandated limits on the recruitment of certain ethnic groups into the armed forces.<ref>{{cite web|title=No More Class Composition in Indian Army|url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1949-JAN-DEC-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1949-02-01_035.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India – Archive|date=1 February 1949|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref>

During 2010, the Indian Armed Forces had a reported strength of 1.4&nbsp;million active personnel and 2.1&nbsp;million reserve personnel. In addition, there were approximately 1.3&nbsp;million paramilitary personnel, making it one of the [[List of countries by size of armed forces|world's largest military forces]].<ref name="IISS 2010, pp. 358">[[#IISS2010|IISS 2010]], pp. 358</ref> A total of 1,567,390 ex- servicemen are registered with the Indian Army, the majority of them hailing from: Uttar Pradesh (271,928), Punjab (191,702), Haryana (165,702), Maharashtra (143,951), Kerala (127,920), Tamil Nadu (103,156), Rajasthan (100,592) and Himachal Pradesh (78,321). Many of them are re-employed in various Central government sectors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mod.nic.in/reports/report01/cap11.pdf|title=Resettlement and welfare of ex-servicemen|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322014718/http://mod.nic.in/reports/report01/cap11.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref>  

! style="align: center; background: " colspan="5" | Indian Armed Forces<ref name="Press Information Bureau" /><ref name="IISS 2012">[[#IISS2012|IISS 2012]], pp. 243–248</ref><ref name="auto" />

| ||'''Active'''||'''Reserve'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VNAzQEACAAJ|title=The Military Balance 2020|last=(Iiss)|first=The International Institute of Strategic Studies|date=14 February 2020|publisher=Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated|isbn=9780367466398|language=en}}</ref> ||'''Governing Body'''||'''Area'''

The vast majority of soldiers in Indian Army are enlisted personnel, called by the Army as Soldier, general duty. These soldiers are recruited at different recruitment rallies across the country.{{Sfn|IISS2018|}} At these rallies, Army recruiters look at candidates from surrounding districts and examine their fitness for the Army. Candidates for Soldier, general duty must have Class 10 Leaving Certificate and in the range of 17 to 21 years.{{Sfn|IISS2019|}} The Army also does online applications to appear at recruitment rallies. Requirements for technical roles, like nurses, artillery, Missile Defense have more stringent educational requirements. The least restrictive job in Army is House Keeper and Cleaner, for which candidates only have to be 8th pass.

The Indian Armed Forces have set up numerous military academies across India for training personnel. Military schools, [[Sainik School]]s, and the [[Rashtriya Indian Military College]] were founded to broaden the recruitment base of the Defence Forces. The three branches of the Indian Armed Forces jointly operate several institutions such as: the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] (NDA), the [[Defence Services Staff College]] (DSSC), the [[National Defence College, India|National Defence College]] (NDC) and the [[College of Defence Management]] (CDM) for training its officers. The [[Armed Forces Medical College, Pune|Armed Forces Medical College]] (AFMC) at [[Pune, Maharashtra|Pune]] is responsible for providing the entire pool of medical staff to the Armed Forces by giving them in-service training.{{Sfn|IISS2019|}}{{Sfn|IISS2014|}}

The Indian Army is a voluntary service, the [[military draft]] having never been imposed in India. It is one of the largest standing armies (and the largest standing volunteer army) in the world, with 1,237,000 active troops and 800,000 reserve troops.<ref name="Studies2023">{{cite book |title = The Military Balance 2020 |author = International Institute for Strategic Studies |author-link = International Institute for Strategic Studies |date = 15 February 2020 |pages = 269–275 |publisher = [[Routledge]] |location = London, England |isbn = 9780367466398 |ref = IISS2020 }}</ref>  The force is headed by the [[Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army]], General Manoj [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Mukund Pande]]. 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 India|Union Cabinet]] of Ministers, only in exceptional circumstances. [[Sam Manekshaw]] and the [[Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa|K.M. Cariappa]] are the only two officers who have attained this rank.

[[File:PIC18Y6S (cropped).jpg|thumb|Indian Army [[Pinaka multi barrel rocket launcher]].|251x251px]]

[[File:Induction of Boeing Chinook - CH 47 F(I) helicopters in Indian Air Force.jpg|thumb|A [[Chinook helicopter|CH-47F(I) helicopters]] of [[Indian Air Force]] at Air Force Station, Chandigarh]]

The following are the seven paramilitary police forces termed as [[Central Armed Police Forces]] (CAPFs).<ref>{{cite web|title=Central Armed Police Forces {{!}} Ministry of Home Affairs|url=https://www.mha.gov.in/about-us/central-armed-police-forces|publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]|access-date=1 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs |title=Working conditions in Border Guarding Forces (Assam Rifles, Sashastra Seema Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Border Security Force) |date=12 December 2018 |publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]] |page=1 |url=https://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/Committee_site/Committee_File/ReportFile/15/107/214_2019_11_11.pdf |access-date=18 August 2022 |format=Pdf}}</ref> These forces were earlier referred to as the "central paramilitary forces". In 2011, the nomenclature CAPF was adopted to refer them.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ministry of Home Affairs |first1=Government of India |title=Office Memorandum |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/OM2-020513.pdf |website=mha.gov.in |publisher=Director (Personnel), MHA |access-date=19 September 2020 |pages=1 |date=18 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ministry of Home Affairs |first1=Government of India |title=Office Memorandum |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/OM1-020513.pdf |website=mha.gov.in |publisher=Director (Personnel), MHA |access-date=19 September 2020 |pages=1 |date=23 November 2012}}</ref>

India has been the largest troop contributor to [[UN peacekeeping missions|UN missions]] since their inception.<ref name="Tuteja">{{cite web|last=Tuteja|first=Ashok|title=India largest contributor to UN peace missions|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130603/main4.htm|access-date=2 October 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005010438/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130603/main4.htm|archive-date=5 October 2013}}</ref> So far India has taken part in 43 peacekeeping missions with a total contribution exceeding 160,000 troops and a significant number of police personnel having been deployed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.un.int/india/india%20&%20un/contribution.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005023028/http://www.un.int/india/india%20%26%20un/contribution.pdf|url-status=dead|title=INDIA's CONTRIBUTION TO UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS|archive-date=5 October 2013|access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref> {{update inline|date=June 2017}} India has so far, provided one Military Advisor (Lt Gen R K Mehta), one Police Adviser (Ms Kiran Bedi), one Deputy Military Adviser (Lt Gen Abhijit Guha), 14 Force Commanders and numerous Police Commissioners in various UN Missions.{{update inline|date=June 2017}} The Indian Army has also contributed lady officers as Military Observers and Staff Officers apart from them forming part of Medical Units being deployed in UN Missions. The first all women contingent in a peacekeeping mission, was a Formed Police Unit from India, deployed in 2007 to the UN Operation in Liberia(UNMIL).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/contributors/2007/march07_2.pdf|title=Ranking of Military and Police Contributions to UN Operations|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231151/http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/contributors/2007/march07_2.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> India has suffered 127 soldier deaths while serving on peacekeeping missions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/fatalities/StatsByYear%201.pdf |title= |website=www.un.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326080655/http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/fatalities/StatsByYear%201.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>{{update inline|date=June 2017}} India has also provided army contingents performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990 as the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]]. In November 1988, India also helped to restore the government of [[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]] in the [[Maldives]] under [[Operation Cactus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/71886-indian-navy-destroyer-anti-piracy-action-sept-5-a.html|title=Indian Navy Destroyer in Anti-Piracy Action On Sept 5|website=Pakistan Defence|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222020706/http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/71886-indian-navy-destroyer-anti-piracy-action-sept-5-a.html|archive-date=22 February 2011|access-date=21 September 2010}}</ref> As of June 2013, about 8000 Indian UN peacekeepers, both men and women, are deployed in nine missions, including the Congo, South Sudan, Liberia, UNDOF, Haiti, Lebanon, Abeyi, Cyprus and Cote de Ivoire.<ref name="Tuteja" />{{update inline|date=June 2017}}

There are number of uniform forces in India apart from the Indian Armed Forces. All such forces are established under the acts of Parliament. They are: the [[Central Reserve Police Force]], the [[Border Security Force]], the [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]], the [[Central Industrial Security Force]], the [[Sashastra Seema Bal]], the [[Assam Rifles]], the [[National Security Guard]] under the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)]], the [[Special Protection Group]] under the [[Cabinet Secretariat of India]], the [[Railway Protection Force]] under [[Ministry of Railways (India)]], and the [[Indian Coast Guard]] (ICG) under the [[Ministry of Defence (India)]]. These forces are referred to as "Armed Force of the Union" in their respective acts, which means a force with armed capability and not necessarily "Armed Forces", the term as per international standards and conventionally referred to as "Army", "Navy" and "Air Force". The Supreme Court in its judgements reported in ''AIR 1996 SC 1705'' held that the military service is only confined to three principal wings of the armed forces i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force. Further the Honourable Supreme Court of India in a case reported in ''AIR 2000 SC 3948'' clarified that unless it is a service in the three principal wing of the Armed Forces, a force included in the expression "Armed forces of the Union" does not constitute part of the military service/military.<ref>{{cite web|title=CIC order|url=http://www.rti.india.gov.in/cic_decisions/CIC_LS_A_2010_001190_M_42637.pdf|website=Right to Information|publisher=CIC, GoI|access-date=17 September 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925104102/http://www.rti.india.gov.in/cic_decisions/CIC_LS_A_2010_001190_M_42637.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> To differentiate from Armed Forces, Some of other forces were commonly referred to as Central Paramilitary Forces which caused confusion and give the impression of them being part of the military forces.

* {{cite book| title=The Military Balance 2021| author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| author-link1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| date=25 February 2021| publisher=[[Routledge]]| location=[[London]]| isbn=9781032012278| ref=IISS2021}}  

* {{cite book| title=The Military Balance 2020| author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| author-link1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| date=14 February 2020| publisher=[[Routledge]]| location=[[London]]| isbn=9780367466398| ref=IISS2020}}   

* {{cite book| title=The Military Balance 2019| author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| author-link1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| date=15 February 2019| publisher=[[Routledge]]| location=[[London]]| isbn=9781857439885| ref=IISS2019}}

* {{cite book| title=The Military Balance 2018| author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| author-link1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| date=14 February 2018| publisher=[[Routledge]]| location=[[London]]| isbn=9781857439557| ref=IISS2018}}  

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