Service of State
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-warfare service of the Indian Armed Forces and the largest of its three branches. It secures India's borders — most actively the Line of Actual Control with China and the Line of Control with Pakistan — and is organised into regional commands under the Chief of the Army Staff.
Updated
- Branch
- Land forces
- Active personnel
- ~1.2 million
- Commands
- 7 operational + training
- Doctrine focus
- Two-front readiness
Role
The Indian Army defends India’s land frontiers and contributes to internal security and disaster relief. It is structured around geographically-oriented commands and maintains a posture shaped by the prospect of simultaneous pressure on the northern (China) and western (Pakistan) borders — the “two-front” planning assumption that drives its force structure and modernisation priorities.
Desk maintained by IndiaStand editorial cycles. Officeholders are treated as transient; this dossier tracks the institution.
Timeline since 1947
- reference
Indian Army reconstituted after Partition
Units and materiel of the British Indian Army were divided between India and Pakistan.
- reference
Sino-Indian War
Reverses in the war drove a major post-1962 expansion and modernisation of the force.
- reference
Galwan Valley clash
20 soldiers killed in the first fatal LAC clash since 1975; triggered sustained forward deployment in eastern Ladakh.
Frequently asked
- What is Indian Army?
- The Indian Army is the land-warfare service of the Indian Armed Forces and the largest of its three branches. It secures India's borders — most actively the Line of Actual Control with China and the Line of Control with Pakistan — and is organised into regional commands under the Chief of the Army Staff.
- When was Indian Army established?
- Indian Army was established 1895 (raised); 1947 (post-independence).
- What does Indian Army do?
- Its remit covers Land defence of India's borders, Counter-insurgency and internal security, Disaster response and aid to civil authority, UN peacekeeping contributions.