The Indian Army : a glimpse

With the AFSPA and the accusations against the Indian army for its role in the Kashmir valley being in news for a few days now I thought a peek into the structure of the Indian army would give one a better insight into the situation and the role that the army plays in disturbed areas in the country.

What is the Indian Army?

The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 960,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's second-largest standing army.

What are the responsibilities of the Indian army?

 Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defence of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders. It also conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances.

History of the Indian Army

The Indian Army came into being when India gained independence in 1947, and inherited most of the infrastructure of the British Indian Army that were located in post-partition India. It is a voluntary service and although a provision for military conscription exists in the Indian constitution, it has never been imposed

The structure of the Indian Army

The commander-in-chief : the President of India
The chief of army staff (General): in charge of the overall working of the operations

Divisions : the Indian army is divided into 6 divisions (depending on the location):these are headed General officer commander-in- chief
The 6 divisions in the Indian army are as follows:

• central command (Lucknow)
• eastern command (west bengal)
• norther command (J&K)
• souther command (Maharashtra)
• south western command (Rajasthan)
• western command

Corps : 2 or more corps are a part of one command.There are three types of corps :
Strike
Hold
mixed

Regiments : these are the funcitional departments of the Indian army and are entrusted with specific pan-army tasks eg. artillery regiment would be responsible for the artillery

Other units within a corps

Division : headed by Major General - consist of 15000 combat troops + 8000 support elements
Brigade : headed by Brigadier - consist of 3000 combat troops
Battalion: headed by a Colonel - consist of 900 combat personel (this is the main fighting unit)
Company : headed by a Major - consist of 120 soldiers
Platoon : headed by Lieutant (Subedar)-consist of 32 troops [each troop has 16-20 soldiers]
Section : headed by a Havaldar - smallest unit and consist of 10 personel
 
Should I post more articles on the Indian defence system? This according to me would help us understand further posts on terrorism and other problems that the country faces in terms of its security.
Do post your suggestions in the comments section of this post.