Basic Structure and Commands of Indian Army

India ranks as one of the largest countries in the world with various types of geographical regions under its area. Therefore, we need a strong and vast army to protect our country. India has one of the largest and strongest armies in the World, ranking fourth in the World. The Indian army protects the country’s borders on the land. It forms the major part of the Indian armed forces. The other two parts of the Indian armed forces are the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

There are seven commands present in the Indian army. The headquarters are located in the capital- New Delhi and manage all the commands. The chief army officer of the Indian army is General Manoj Mukund Nirvana. However, the President of India is the supreme head or commander of the Indian army. 

The Primary Focus of the Indian Army

The main focus of the Indian Army is to protect the Country. It includes protection from both internal and external threats. The army is responsible for maintaining peace at the borders. It detects suspicious terrorist activities. Moreover, the Indian army tries its best to protect the general public from terrorist attacks. The Indian army also carries out rescue missions in calamities such as floods, cyclones, or earthquakes. 

One of the main jobs of the Indian Army is to maintain internal peace in the country. It must eradicate the internal threats and conflicts arising in sensitive areas such as Kashmir and North-East states. 

History 

We should know the history of the Indian army to know the evolution of the basic structure and commands of Indian army. 

The first-ever official military department in India was created in 1776. It was established under the control of East India Company, Kolkata. The main job was to take orders from the departments under East India Company. It was mainly for the regions under the control of the Company. 

Later, after the Charter Act, 1833, the East India Company was reorganized. It included the military department. The armies in Bengal, Mumbai, and Chennai were made to control the respective presidencies. However, on 1st April 1895, they were combined as one Indian Army. This was the first step towards the creation of a unified army. However, it was still known as the British Indian Army. The East India Company fought many wars inside and outside the nation. They were the major workforce of the company. 

However, the present basic structure and commands of Indian Army were made after the Independence of India in 1947. 

Changes in the Army After Independence

India got independence on 15th August 1947. India experienced both Independence and partition at the same time. India and Pakistan got separated. This also caused the splitting of the British Indian Army. The British army took four Gurkha regiments out of a total of 10 Gurkha regiments. The remaining British Indian army got divided between India and Pakistan. 

The first Indian commander is Lieutenant General K.M. Cariappa, who took over the last British commander-in-chief in the Indian army. He took over the post on January 15, 1949. Therefore, this day is also celebrated as Army Day in India. 

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Image: The Commands of Indian Army

What is the Basic Structure and Commands of Indian Army?

India is guided by one of the largest armies in the World, with a huge amount of standing troops. Therefore, the common question that arises in people’s minds is the What is the basic structure and commands of Indian Army. The structure of the Indian Army is well-planned. It aims at covering all the sensitive areas in the country. Moreover, it aims at managing the external aggressions and disputes at the border. Also, the Indian army performs various missions and operations for the well-being of the citizens and peace in the country.

The Indian army has a huge number of troops, with over a million troops. There are 40 divisions under 14 corps in India. The headquarter is located in the capital- New Delhi. There are seven commands under the Indian army. The ultimate head of the Army is the President of India. However, the overall commander is the Chief of Army Staff (in short known as COAS). 

The Structure of the Commands in Indian Army 

The Indian army has a total of 7 commands. Out of this, six are operational commands, and one is a training command. The “General Officer Commanding-in-Chief” is the head of each of the seven commands. The head of the commands has the rank of Lieutenant General. The different commands report to the headquarters present in New Delhi. The different commands are divided based on operations and geographic locations. 

Divisions and Corps in the commands

1.Eastern Command

Presently, the Eastern Command is headed by Lieutenant-general Anil Chauhan. The command has 12 divisions with four corps under its management. The mountain divisions are Dibrugarh, Bomdila, Gangtok, Zakhama, Rangia, Binnaguri, Leimkhong, Missamari, Kalimpong. The infantry divisions are present in paragraph Pathankot, Ranchi.

The III, IV, XXXIII, and XVII corps are present at Dimapur, Tezpur, Siliguri, and Panagarh.

2. Northern Command 

Lieutenant-general Yogesh Kumar Jogi heads the Northern Command. It has seven divisions. Two mountain divisions are located at Dras and Gurez. The Infantry divisions are located at Rajouri, Yol, Leh, Baramulla, Akhnoor. 

XIV Corps, XV Corps, and XVI corps are located in Leh, Srinagar, and Nagrota.

Also, it has ten artillery brigades.

3. Southern Command 

Lieutenant general JS Nain heads the southern command presently. This command has 6 divisions, 2 corps, and three brigades.

The various divisions are artillery, Infantry, Armoured, etc. are present at different places. The 12th RAPID is present in Jodhpur, and the 36th RAPID is present in Sagar.

The corps are present at Jodhpur and Bhopal

4. South Western Command 

Lieutenant General Amardeep Singh Bhinder currently heads this command. It has 7 divisions, two corps, and 3 brigades under it.

5. Western Command 

Lieutenant General Ravendra Pal Singh heads the western command. There are a total of 9 divisions, 3 cores, and 6 brigades under this command.

6. Central command 

Presently, the central command is headed by Lieutenant-general YogendraDimri. However, recently no unit is working under the command. The functions are assigned to the south command.

7. Army Training Command

Lieutenant General Raj Shukla heads the training command. It acts as the nodal agency. It helps in training the staff to build an efficient army.

Special note: There is also one independent brigade besides these commands. It is the parachute brigade and is located in Agra. The chief of the army staff heads this brigade.

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Organization of the Command

There are several terminologies related to the organization of the command. 

• The smallest unit in the army consists of 10-12 soldiers known as Section.

• Four sections together form the platoons.

• The four platoons form a company with the company commander as its chief.

• Further grouping forms Battalions whose head is known as colonel.

• Battalions from brigade whose head is the Brigadier.

• The Major general heads brigades from Divisions.

• The Divisions further form the corps, whose head is the Lieutenant general. 

Organization 

There are two main parts in the Indian Army- Combat Arms and services. 

The combat arms are involved in the search operations. The major departments in the combat arms are Armoured corps, Mechanized Infantry, and Infantry. Also, it contains several combat support arms. These include the departments such as Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Army Air Defence, Army Aviation Corps, and Corps of Signals.

The services are another part of the Indian Army. The army members, besides the combat arms, come under the Services. The main focus is to provide logistic materials to the army members. It includes army service corps, Army ordnance Corps, Army Dental Corps, Army medical corps, etc.

Indian army plays a major role in safeguarding the citizens of the country. The well-planned divisions result in greater efficiency. The efficiency of the different army professionals has maintained the peace within the country.