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
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Indian Army reconstituted after Partition
Units and materiel of the British Indian Army were divided between India and Pakistan.
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Sino-Indian War
Reverses in the war drove a major post-1962 expansion and modernisation of the force.
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Cabinet Committee on Security approves the Mountain Strike Corps
The CCS approved raising XVII Corps as a China-facing offensive formation at Rs 64,678 crore with a planned strength of 90,274 soldiers; the corps was raised on 1 January 2014 and later headquartered at Panagarh. Funding constraints stalled the raising, and the second division planned at Pathankot was shelved.
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Government announces One Rank One Pension for the armed forces
The announced scheme equalised pensions for personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, at an estimated outlay of about Rs 8,400 crore covering roughly 2.5 million ex-servicemen and 60,000 widows. The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare issued the implementing order on 7 November 2015.
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Army announces cross-LoC strikes after the Uri attack
The Director General of Military Operations publicly announced strikes on launch pads across the Line of Control, citing credible information on infiltration teams and describing casualties as significant without giving numbers. The strikes followed the 18 September 2016 attack on an army base at Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed.
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Doklam standoff ends after 73 days of forward deployment
India and China disengaged at Doklam after a standoff that began on 16 June 2017, with Indian troops returning to positions at Doka La under verification. China stated it would continue to patrol and garrison the area.
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Cabinet creates the Chief of Defence Staff and Department of Military Affairs
The Union Cabinet approved a four-star Chief of Defence Staff who heads a new Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence and serves as its Secretary, taking Army, Navy, Air Force, the Territorial Army and Services-exclusive procurement out of the Department of Defence. The DMA mandate includes facilitating restructuring of military commands into joint or theatre commands; the CDS exercises no military command over the Service Chiefs.
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Supreme Court orders permanent commission and command roles for women officers
The Supreme Court held that women officers of the Indian Army are eligible for permanent commission and for command appointments on par with male officers, directing implementation within three months.
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Galwan Valley clash
20 soldiers killed in the first fatal LAC clash since 1975; triggered sustained forward deployment in eastern Ladakh.
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Agnipath replaces the Army's permanent Other Ranks recruitment model
The announced scheme recruits Agniveers on four-year tenures with age limits of 17.5 to 21, an annual intake of the order of 46,000 across the services, a Seva Nidhi exit payment of about Rs 11.71 lakh, and up to 25 percent of each batch retained in the permanent cadre. The Army's recruitment portal now lists Agniveer General Duty, Technical, Tradesmen, Clerk/SKT and Women Military Police as its Other Ranks entries.
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Army study approves commissioning of about 8,100 women officers across arms and services
The study on Employment of Women Officers in the Indian Army approved commissioning of approximately 8,100 women officers in arms and services. The Ministry of Defence reports 119 women officers entrusted with command of Army units, and selection for the JAG Special Entry Scheme starting from 2026.
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Parliament passes the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill
Introduced on 15 March 2023 and passed by the Lok Sabha on 4 August and the Rajya Sabha on 8 August 2023, the Bill empowers commanders-in-chief of inter-services organisations to exercise disciplinary and administrative control over personnel of any service under their command — a statutory precondition for joint and theatre structures that the Army Act alone could not support.
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Annual intake of women cadets raised from 80 to 144 vacancies
The Army increased annual women cadet vacancies from 80 to 144, an 80 percent rise. A Future Career Progression Policy was also promulgated in 2024 for women officers empanelled in Special Selection Boards from Lt Col to Col.
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Rudra Brigades, Bhairav Battalions and Divyastra Batteries deployed on the northern borders
The Ministry of Defence reports these newly created force multipliers deployed along the northern borders alongside new-generation equipment, as part of enhanced defence preparedness and improved infrastructure, connectivity and billeting in all sectors.
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Emergency Procurement powers extended to the services after Operation Sindoor
Under Emergency Procurement VI Capital 2025, the Army planned 58 schemes and concluded 29 — 19 domestic worth Rs 4,577.33 crore and 10 foreign worth Rs 2,496.90 crore, totalling Rs 7,074.24 crore. A separate tranche contracted 13 schemes worth Rs 1,958.80 crore for the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism grid.
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Operation Sindoor: strikes on nine camps in Pakistan and PoK
Launched on the night of 6-7 May 2025 after the 22 April Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people, the tri-service operation struck nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK. After Pakistan's 10 May attack on air bases, ammunition depots and cantonments, the two Directors General of Military Operations held formal talks on 12 May and both sides decided to cease military operations; the Ministry of Defence states the operation was halted, not ended.
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Combined Commanders' Conference releases a Joint Military Space Doctrine
Held at HQ Eastern Command, Kolkata from 15-17 September 2025 with the Indian Army as lead Service under HQ IDS, the conference concluded with the release of a Joint Military Space Doctrine and an integration roadmap. The Ministry reports jointness deliverables at 29 percent accomplished and joint doctrines 35 percent complete.
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.
- What is the latest on Indian Army?
- As of 2026-07-02: Combined Commanders' Conference releases a Joint Military Space Doctrine. Held at HQ Eastern Command, Kolkata from 15-17 September 2025 with the Indian Army as lead Service under HQ IDS, the conference concluded with the release of a Joint Military Space Doctrine and an integration roadmap. The Ministry reports jointness deliverables at 29 percent accomplished and joint doctrines 35 percent complete.
Official sources
The government's own pages for this institution — go straight to the primary.
- Official website
indianarmy.nic.in/
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Ministry of Defence's canonical page for the Indian Army; the .nic.in Army home page currently fails TLS validation.
www.mod.gov.in/dod/indian-army
- Join Indian Army (recruitment portal) department
Adjutant General's Branch recruitment portal: officer/JCO/Other Ranks entries, notifications, exam schedules and admit cards.
joinindianarmy.nic.in/default.aspx
- Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) department
Army directorate for veterans' welfare, pension grievances, ECHS and the SAMMAAN magazine/handbook.
www.indianarmyveterans.gov.in/
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MoD annual report archive; the Army chapter is the primary yearly account of strength, operations and modernisation.
www.mod.gov.in/documents/annual-report
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PIB's consolidated Ministry of Defence year-end review — operations, procurement and personnel policy in one official release.
www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2210154&lang=1®
- Army Act, 1950 (India Code) legislation
Act No. 46 of 1950 with linked Rules, Regulations and Notifications — the statute governing the regular Army.
www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1930?view_type=browse