Northern Command (India): Difference between revisions

| image_size                    = 200px

| caption                      = Northern Command's insignia today

| country                      = {{flag|British India}} <br>{{flag|India}}

| branch                        = {{army|British India}} <br>{{army|india}}

| motto                        = ''forever in operations''

| notable_commanders            = General [[Sundararajan Padmanabhan|S. Padmanabhan]]<br/>

General [[Deepak Kapoor]] <br/>

General [[Premindra Singh Bhagat|P. S. Bhagat]]

| current_commander            = Lt Gen [[Yogesh Kumar Joshi]] [[UYSM]], [[AVSM]], [[Vir Chakra|VrC]], [[Sena Medal|SM]], [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]]

The '''Northern Command''' is a [[Command (military formation)|Command]] of the [[Indian Army]]. It was originally formed as the Northern Army of the [[British Indian Army]] in 1908. It was scrapped upon [[India]]'s independence in 1947 and later re-raised in 1972. Currently, the [[XIV Corps (India)|XIV Corps]] ([[Leh]]), [[XV Corps (India)|XV Corps]] ([[Srinagar]]) and [[XVI Corps (India)|XVI Corps]] ([[Nagrota]]) control it's operational units. Its present commander is Lieutenant General [[Yogesh Kumar Joshi]].<ref name="The Week">{{Cite news|title='Face of Indian Army' Lt Gen Ranbir Singh appointed Northern Army Commander|language=en|work=The Week|url=https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2018/05/30/face-of-Indian-army-lt-gen-ranbir-singh-appointednorthern-army-commander.html|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref>

In 1937, Western Command was downgraded to become the Western Independent District. In April 1942,  the Western Independent District was absorbed Northern Command which itself was re-designated as North Western Army to guard the borders at [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier]] during [[World War II]]. It controlled the [[Kohat]], [[Peshawar]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Baluchistan]] and [[Waziristan]] Districts.<ref name="nwa">{{cite web|access-date=14 October 2009|title=North Western Army|publisher=Order of Battle|url=http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=8813&Tab=Sub|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070706171348/http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=8813&Tab=Sub|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 July 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/documents.php?aid=86&nid=12&start=0 |title=British Military History |publisher=British Military History |access-date=1 June 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054122/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/documents.php?aid=86&nid=12&start=0 |archive-date=4 March 2016  }}</ref>  

The formation reverted to the title Northern Command in November 1945.<ref>[http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/aqadmin/media/uploads/4c55d74a45eb8_TOOVEY%20Major%20General%20Cecil%20Wotton.pdf Major General Cecil Watton Toovey CB, CBE, MC] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911063711/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/aqadmin/media/uploads/4c55d74a45eb8_TOOVEY%20Major%20General%20Cecil%20Wotton.pdf |date=11 September 2011 }}</ref> In 1947, India move towards partition, with Northern Command HQ at Rawalpindi becoming the Army HQ of newly formed [[Pakistan Army]], with rest of commands passing to [[Indian Army]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/docs-india-1930-1947-northern-command-india/|title=Northern Command, India|publisher=British Military History|access-date=21 April 2021}}</ref>

In 1972, [[Government of India|GoI]] decided to raise a separate command to oversee operations in the northern borders with [[Pakistan]] and [[China]]. [[Lieutenant General|Lt. Gen.]] [[Premindra Singh Bhagat|P. S. Bhagat]] was appointed as it's GOC-in-C in June 1972. Bhagat's main activities as Army Commander were the improvement of defence and the living and working condition of his troops.<ref name="12 Soldiers">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=V.K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cJDsk_g6tXUC|title=Leadership in the Indian army: biographies of twelve soldiers|date=23 March 2005|publisher=Sage|isbn=978-0-7619-3322-9|edition=Illustrated|location=New Delhi|page=417}}</ref> [[Headquarters]] for the command was established at [[Udhampur]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|J&K]].<ref name="randr">Renaldi and Rikhye 2011, p. 21</ref>

The [[XIV Corps (India)|XIV Corps]] ([[Leh]]), [[XV Corps (India)|XV Corps]] ([[Srinagar]]) and [[XVI Corps (India)|XVI Corps]] ([[Nagrota]]) control the operational units in Northern Command. 71 Independent Sub Area is part of the Command. In 2001-02, during [[Operation Parakram]] the [[III Corps (India)|III Corps]] and its 57th Mountain Division were temporarily shifted into the command as a reserve.<ref name="randr" />

Currently, the Northern Commands has been assigned operational units under three [[corps]]: [[XIV Corps (India)|XIV Corps]], [[XV Corps (India)|XV Corps]] and [[XVI Corps (India)|XVI Corps]]. These three [[corps]] control seven [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|divisions]] and one [[artillery]] [[brigade]] in all.

! colspan="5" |Structure of Northern Command

!Corp

!Corp HQ

!GOC of Corp

<small>(Corp Commander)</small>

| rowspan="2" |[[XIV Corps (India)|XIV Corps]]

| rowspan="2" |[[Leh]], [[Ladakh]]

| rowspan="2" |Lt Gen P. G. K. Menon

|3rd Infantry Division

|[[8th Mountain Division (India)|8th Mountain Division]]

|[[Dras]], [[Ladakh]]

| rowspan="2" |[[XV Corps (India)|XV Corps]]

| rowspan="2" |[[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]]

| rowspan="2" |Lt Gen D. P. Pandey

|[[19th Infantry Division (India)|19th Infantry Division]]

|28th Mountain Division

| rowspan="4" |[[XVI Corps (India)|XVI Corps]]

| rowspan="4" |[[Nagrota|Nagarota]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]]

| rowspan="4" |Lt Gen M. V. Suchindra Kumar

|10th Infantry Division

|25th Infantry Division

|39th Infantry Division

|10th Artillery Brigade

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

|[[General officer|General]]

|[[General officer|General]]

|March1899

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="5" |'''General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Punjab Command'''

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="5" |'''General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command'''

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

Following is the list of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command after its re-raising in 1972:-

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Rank

!Name

!Appointment Date

!Left Office

!Unit of Commission

!References

|[[Premindra Singh Bhagat|P. S. Bhagat]]

|[[Armoured corps|Armoured Corps]]

|S. P. Malhotra

|

|

|[[Biddanda Chengappa Nanda|B. C. Nanda]]

|[[4th Horse (Hodson's Horse)|4th Hodson's Horse]]

|[[Poona Horse]]

|H M Khanna

|R K Nanavatty

|[[H. S. Panag]]

|[[Prabodh Chandra Bhardwaj|P C Bhardwaj]]

|B S Jaswal

|K T Parnaik

|[[Deependra Singh Hooda|D S Hooda]]

|Incumbent