Indian Army

History

Until the independence of India, the "Indian Army" was a British-commanded force defined as "the force recruited locally and permanently based in India, together with its expatriate British officers"; the "British Army in India" referred to British Army units posted to India for a tour of duty. The "Army of India" meant the combined Indian Army and the British Army in India.

Background

In 1776, a Military Department was created within the government of the East India Company at Calcutta. Its main function was to record orders that were issued to the army by various departments of the East India Company for the territories under its control.

With the Charter Act 1833, the Secretariat of the government of the East India Company was reorganised into four departments, including a Military Department. The army in the presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras functioned as respective Presidency Armies until 1 April 1895, when they were unified into a single force known as the Indian Army. For administrative convenience, it was divided into four commands, namely Punjab (including the North West Frontier), Bengal, Madras (including Burma), and Bombay (including Sind, Quetta and Aden).

The Indian Army was a critical force for maintaining the primacy of the British Empire, both in India and throughout the world. Besides maintaining internal security, the Army fought in many other theatres: Third Anglo-Afghan war; the Boxer Rebellion in China; in Abyssinia and in the First and Second World Wars.

World wars

The Kitchener Reforms brought the British Army to a new century. In the 20th century, the Indian Army was a crucial adjunct to the forces of the British Empire in both world wars. 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in World War I (1914–1918) with the Allies, in which 74,187 Indian troops were killed or missing in action. In 1915 there was a mutiny by Indian soldiers in Singapore. The United Kingdom made promises of self-governance to the Indian National Congress in return for its support but reneged on them after the war, following which the Indian Independence movement gained strength.

The "Indianisation" of the Indian Army began with the formation of the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College at Dehradun, in March 1912, to provide education to the scions of aristocratic and well-to-do Indian families and to prepare selected Indian boys for admission into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Cadets were given a King's commission, after passing out, and were posted to one of the eight units selected for Indianisation. Because of the slow pace of Indianisation, with just 69 officers being commissioned between 1918 and 1932, political pressure was applied, leading to the formation of the Indian Military Academy in 1932 and greater numbers of officers of Indian origin being commissioned. On the eve of World War II, the officer corps consisted of roughly 500 Indians holding regular commissions against approximately 3,000 British officers.

In World War II Indian soldiers fought alongside the Allies. In 1939, British officials had no plan for expansion and training of Indian forces, which comprised about 130,000 men (in addition there were 44,000 men in British units in India in 1939), whose mission was internal security and defence against a possible Soviet threat through Afghanistan. As the war progressed, the size and role of the Indian Army expanded dramatically, and troops were sent to battlefronts as soon as possible. The most serious problem was the lack of equipment. Indian units served in Burma, wherein 1944–45, five Indian divisions were engaged along with one British and three African divisions. Even larger numbers operated in the Middle East. Some 87,000 Indian soldiers died in the war. By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in August 1945.

In the African and Middle East campaigns, captured Indian troops were given a choice to join the German Army, to eventually "liberate" India from Britain, instead of being sent to POW camps. These men, along with Indian students who were in Germany when the war broke out, made up what was called the Free India Legion. They were originally intended as pathfinders for German forces in Asia but were soon sent to help guard the Atlantic Wall. Few who were part of the Free India Legion ever saw any combat, and very few were ever stationed outside Europe. At its height, the Free India Legion had over 3,000 troops in its ranks.

Indian independence

Upon the Partition of India and Indian independence in 1947, four of the ten Gurkha regiments were transferred to the British Army. The rest of the Indian Army was divided between the newly created Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The Punjab Boundary Force, which had been formed to help police Punjab during the partition period, was disbanded. Headquarters Delhi and the East Punjab Command were formed to administer the area.

The departure of virtually all senior British officers following independence, and their replacement by Indian officers, meant many of the latter held acting ranks several ranks above their substantive ones. For instance, S. M. Shrinagesh, the ground-forces commander of Indian forces during the first Indo-Pak War of 1947–49 (and the future third COAS), was first an acting major-general and then an acting lieutenant-general during the conflict while holding the substantive rank of major, and only received a substantive promotion to lieutenant-colonel in August 1949. Gopal Gurunath Bewoor, the future ninth COAS, was an acting colonel at his promotion to substantive major from substantive captain in 1949, while future Lieutenant General K. P. Candeth was an acting brigadier (substantive captain) at the same time. In April 1948, the former Viceroy's Commissioned Officers (VCO) were re-designated Junior Commissioned Officers, while the former King's Commissioned Indian Officers (KCIO) and Indian Commissioned Officers (ICO), along with the former Indian Other Ranks (IOR), were respectively re-designated as Officers and Other Ranks.

Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa's taking over as the first "Indian" Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army from General Sir Roy Bucher, on 15 January 1949. With effect from 26 January 1950, the date India became a republic, all active-duty Indian Army officers formerly holding the King's Commission were recommissioned and confirmed in their substantive ranks.

Conflicts and operations

Immediately after independence, tensions between India and Pakistan erupted into the first of three full-scale wars between the two nations over the then princely state of Kashmir. The Maharaja of Kashmir wanted to have a standstill position. Since Kashmir was a Muslim majority state, Pakistan wanted to make Kashmir a Pakistani territory. As a result, Pakistan invaded Kashmir on 22 October 1947, causing Maharaja Hari Singh to look to India, specifically to Lord Mountbatten of Burma, the governor-general, for help. He signed the Instrument of Accession to India on 26 October 1947. Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar from dawn on 27 October. This contingent included General Thimayya who distinguished himself in the operation and in the years that followed became a Chief of the Indian Army. An intense war was waged across the state and former comrades found themselves fighting each other. Pakistan suffered significant losses. Its forces were stopped on the line formed which is now called the Line of Control (LOC).

An uneasy peace, sponsored by the UN, returned by the end of 1948, with Indian and Pakistani soldiers facing each other across the Line of Control, which has since divided Indian-held Kashmir from that part held by Pakistan. Several UN Security Council resolutions were passed, with Resolution 47 calling for a plebiscite to be held in Kashmir to determine accession to India or Pakistan, only after Pakistan withdrew its army from Kashmir. A precondition to the resolution was for Pakistan and India to return to a state of "as was" before the conflict. Pakistan would withdraw all tribesmen and Pakistani nationals brought in to fight in Kashmir. Pakistan refused to pull back, and there could be no further dialogue on fulfilling the UN resolution. Tensions between India and Pakistan, largely over Kashmir, have never been eliminated.

After the partition of India, Hyderabad State, a princely state under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad, chose to remain independent. The ensuing stand-off between the Government of India and the Nizam ended on 12 September 1948, when India's then Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ordered Indian troops to secure Hyderabad State. During five days of fighting, the Indian Army, backed by an Indian Air Force squadron of Hawker Tempest aircraft, routed the Hyderabad State forces. Five Indian Army infantry battalions and one armoured squadron were engaged in the operation. The following day, Hyderabad was proclaimed part of India. Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri, who led the operation, and accepted the surrender of the Nizam's forces on 18 September 1948, was appointed the military governor of Hyderabad, to restore law and order, and served until 1949.

Major exercises

Operation Brasstacks was launched by the Indian Army in November 1986 to simulate a full-scale war on India's western border. The exercise was the largest ever conducted in India; it included nine infantry, three mechanised, three armoured divisions, and one air assault division, as well as three independent armoured brigades. Amphibious assault exercises were also conducted with the Indian Navy. Brasstacks also allegedly incorporated nuclear attack drills. It led to tensions with Pakistan and a subsequent rapprochement in mid-1987.

Since 2004, and every year since, the Indian Army has been conducting training exercises with the Mongolian Army. In 2012, the exercise took place in Belgaum; in June 2013, it was held in Mongolia. The aim of the exercises is to enhance counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations, and to train in conducting peacekeeping operations under the mandate of the United Nations.

Indian Army tested its network-centric warfare capabilities in the Ashwamedha exercise. The exercise was held in the Thar desert, and over 300,000 troops participated. Asymmetric warfare capability was also tested by the Indian Army during the exercise.

The Yudh Abhyas exercise is an ongoing series, since 2005 of joint exercises between the Indian and United States armies, agreed upon under the New Framework of the India-US Defence Relationship. Commencing at the platoon level, the exercise has graduated to a command post (CPX) and field training exercise (FTX).

The seventh edition of Yudh Abhyas began on 5 March 2012, in two locations under the Southwestern Command. The US Army contingent is from the US Army Pacific (USARPAC), part of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM). The command post exercise has an engineer brigade headquarters, with its planners drawn from both countries, while the field training exercise comprises troops of the United States' 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, from the 25th Infantry Division, Hawaii, along with a Stryker platoon, and a similarly sized Indian Army contingent of mechanised infantry. Several key surveillance, communications, and IED detection and neutralisation technologies, available to both sides, were fielded in the exercise.

The eighth edition of Yudh Abhyas was conducted from 3 to 17 May 2013 as a U.S.-Army-Pacific-sponsored bilateral training exercise with the Indian Army, an exercise that focused on the two countries' cultures, weapons training, and tactics. Units from the United States included the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment. Units from India were the Indian Army's 99th Mountain Brigade; the 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurka Rifles; the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade; and the 54th Engineers Regiment.

Mission and doctrine

Initially, the army's main objective was to defend the nation's frontiers. However, over the years, the army has also taken up the responsibility of providing internal security, especially against insurgencies in Kashmir and Northeast India. Currently, the army is also looking at enhancing its special forces capabilities. With India's increasing international role, and the requirement to protect its interests in far-off countries becoming important, the Indian Army and the Indian Navy are jointly planning to set up a marine brigade.

The current combat doctrine of the Indian Army is based on effectively utilising holding formations and strike formations. In the case of an attack, the holding formations would contain the enemy and strike formations would counter-attack to neutralise enemy forces. In the case of an Indian attack, the holding formations would pin enemy forces down, whilst the strike formations would attack at a point of India's choosing. The Indian Army is large enough to devote several corps to the strike role.

Organisation

Leadership

The troops are organized into 40 Divisions in 14 Corps. Army headquarters is located in the Indian capital, New Delhi, and it is under the overall command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

Command structure

The army operates six operational commands and one training command. Each command is headed by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Lieutenant General. Each command directly reports to Army HQ in New Delhi. These commands are given below in order of creation, with location (city) and commanders listed. There is also the Army Training Command (ARTRAC).

Six Area Headquarters are also part of the operational commands, alongside corps and divisions: Delhi; Dakshin Bharat (Southern Command); Madhiya; Uttar Pradesh; MG&G; and 101 Areas.

Combat Arms

Not to be confused with the field corps listed above, the corps mentioned below are divisions entrusted with specific pan-Army tasks.

The Indian Territorial Army has battalions affiliated with different infantry regiments and some department units that are from the Corps of Engineers, Army Medical Corps, or the Army Service Corps. They serve as a part-time reserve. On 4 June 2017, the chief of staff announced that the Army was planning to open combat positions to women, who would first be appointed to positions in the military police.

There are 65 armoured regiments in the Indian Army. These include the President's Bodyguard and the 61st Cavalry as well as the following historic regiments dating back to the nineteenth century or earlier: 1st (Skinner's) Horse, the 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse), the 3rd Cavalry, the 4th (Hodson's) Horse, the 7th Light Cavalry, the 8th Light Cavalry, the 9th (Deccan) Horse, the 14th (Scinde) Horse, the 17th (Poona) Horse, the 15th Lancers, the 16th Light Cavalry, the 18th Cavalry, the 20th Lancers and the 21st (Central India) Horse. A substantial number of additional units designated as either "Cavalry" or "Armoured" Regiments have been raised since Independence.

The Mechanised Infantry is the newest combat arm of the Indian Army. Often referred to as "tomorrow's arm in today's army", it is formed of two regiments—The Brigade of the Guards and Mechanised Infantry Regiment—and comprises 50 Mechanised Infantry battalions in all. It is the brainchild of General Krishnaswamy Sundarji (28 April 1930 – 8 February 1999), who was the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1986 to 1988. During the late 70s, as part of Indian Army modernisation, there was an urgent need to re-calibrate the Indian Mechanised Forces, which led to the forming of Mechanised Infantry units to further the shock-action, fire-power, flexibility, and mobility of armoured formations by including ground-holding ability. The Mechanised Infantry regiments were first created with carefully selected existing Infantry battalions, based on their operational performance. As the need for more mechanised battalions grew, the elite Brigade of The Guards was also converted to the mechanised profile. The two regiments along with the Armoured Corps form part of the Indian Army's elite "Mechanised Forces".

There are 50 mechanised infantry battalions in the Army. Of these, 10 are for reconnaissance and support battalions (5 wheeled and 5 tracked) and 40 are standard mechanised infantry battalions (10 wheeled and 30 tracked).

Services

Pre-commission training of Gentlemen Cadets is carried out at the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and the Officers Training Academy at Chennai. There are also specialised training institutions such as the Army War College, at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh; the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), at Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir; the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJW), in Vairengte, Mizoram; and the College of Military Engineering (CME), in Pune.

The Army Training Command (ARTRAC), at Shimla, supervises training of personnel.

In 2020 a 'Tour of Duty' scheme was proposed for voluntary recruitment into the forces for civilians, to enable them to join for three years of short service. The scheme is on a trial basis and will start with a test group of 100 officers and 1000 jawans.

Agnipath Scheme is a new scheme introduced by the Government of India on 14 June 2022, for recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. All recruits will be hired only for a four-year period. Personnel recruited under this system are to be called Agniveers (transl. Fire-Warriors), which will be a new military rank. The introduction of the scheme has been criticized for lack of consultation and public debate. The scheme was implemented in September 2022.

This scheme will bypass many things including long tenures, pension and other benefits which were there in old system. Opposition parties in India have criticised and expressed concerns about the consequences of the new scheme. They have asked the scheme to be put on hold and that the scheme be discussed in the Parliament.

The Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) is an intelligence-gathering arm of the Indian Army. The MI (as it is commonly referred to) was constituted in 1941. It was initially created to check corruption in the Army's ranks. With time, its role has evolved into cross-border intelligence, intelligence sharing with friendly nations, infiltrating insurgent groups, and counterterrorism.

In the late 1970s, the MI was embroiled in the Samba spy scandal, wherein three Indian Army officers were falsely implicated as Pakistani spies. The organisation has since emerged from the scandal as a prime intelligence organisation of the Indian Army.

Field formations

Below are the basic field formations of the Indian Army:

Command: Indian Army has six operational commands and one training command. Each one is headed by a general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C), known as the army commander, who is among the senior-most Lieutenant General officers in the army.

Corps: A command generally consists of two or more corps. Indian Army has 14 Corps each one commanded by a general officer commanding (GOC), known as the corps commander, who holds the rank of Lieutenant General. Each corps is composed of three or four divisions. There are three types of corps in the Indian Army: Strike, Holding and Mixed. The Corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.

Division: Each division is headed by GOC (division commander) in the rank of major general. It usually consists of three to four Brigades. Currently, the Indian Army has 40 Divisions including four RAPIDs (Re-organised Army Plains Infantry Division), 18 Infantry Divisions, 12 Mountain Divisions, three Armoured Divisions and three Artillery Divisions.

Brigade: A brigade generally consists of around 3,000 combat troops with supporting elements. An Infantry Brigade usually has three Infantry battalions along with various Support Elements. It is commanded by a brigade commander who is a Brigadier, equivalent to a brigadier general in some armies. In addition to the Brigades in various Army Divisions, the Indian Army also has five Independent Armoured Brigades, 15 Independent Artillery Brigades, seven Independent Infantry Brigades, one Independent Parachute Brigade, three Independent Air Defence Brigades, two Independent Air Defence Groups and four Independent Engineer Brigades. These Independent Brigades operate directly under the Corps Commander (GOC Corps).

Battalion: Composed of four rifle companies. Commanded by a battalion commander who is a Colonel and is the Infantry's main fighting unit. Every infantry battalion also possesses one Ghatak Platoon.

Company: Composed of three platoons. Commanded by a company commander who is a major or lieutenant-colonel.

Indian Army forts

Fort William, Kolkata: Garrison of Eastern Army Command

Fort St George, Chennai: Garrison of ATNK&K Army Area

OD Fort, Allahabad, Ordnance Depot

Personnel

The Indian Army is a voluntary service, and although a provision for military conscription exists in the Indian constitution, conscription has never been imposed. As of 1 July 2017, the Indian Army has a sanctioned strength of 49,932 officers (42,253 serving, being 7,679 under strength), and 1,215,049 enlisted personnel (1,194,864 serving, being 20,185 under strength). Recently, it has been proposed to increase the strength of the army by more than 90,000, to counter the increasing presence of Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, in 2020 the army had a strength of 1,237,000 active personnel and 960,000 reserve personnel. Of those in reserve, 300,000 are first-line reserves (within 5 years of active service), 500,000 are committed to return if called until the age of 50, and 160,000 were in the Indian Territorial Army, with 40,000 in regular establishment. This makes the Indian Army the world's largest standing volunteer army.

Rank structure

The ranks of the Indian Army for the most part follow the British Army tradition.

As of January 2019, the Indian Army had an authorized strength of 50,312 officers and 1,223,381 personnel below officer rank (PBOR), bringing the total to 1,273,693. However, there was a shortfall of 7,399 officers and 38,235 PBORs, reducing the actual strength to 42,913 officers and 1,185,146 PBORs. This resulted in a total actual strength of 1,228,059 personnel.

Commissioned Officers

Commissioned officers are the leaders of the army and command units from platoon/company to brigade, division, corps, and above.

Indian Army officers are continually put through different courses of training, and assessed on merit, for promotions and appointments. Substantive promotions up to lieutenant colonel, or equivalent, are based on time in service, whereas those for the colonel and above are based on selection, with promotion to colonel being also based on time served.

Other Ranks

Uniforms

To make themselves less of a target, the forces of the East India Company in India dyed their white summer tunics to neutral tones initially a tan called khaki (from the Hindi word for "dusty"). This was a temporary measure that became standard in the Indian service in the 1880s. Only during the Second Boer War in 1902, did the entire British Army standardise on dun for Service Dress. The Indian Army uniform standardised on dun for khaki.

The Indian Army's current service dress consists of a dark green coloured short-sleeved shirt with matching dark green trousers. Officers can add a four pocket tunic worn over a peach coloured button down shirt and black tie. The Winter "Angola", meaning Angora wool, version substitutes a light brown/dark khaki long-sleeved button up shirt. It is accompanied by beret or peaked cap depending on the regiment the soldier belongs to. Organizational headwear, sashes, belts, spats, medals, lanyards, and other achievements are added for ceremonial duties. A black version of the service dress is worn by the Armoured Corps.

The 2006 standard issued camouflage uniform of the Indian Army was the PC-DPM which consists of French Camouflage Europe Centrale featuring a forest camouflage pattern and is designed for use in woodland environments being printed on BDU. The Desert variant issued in 2006 was based on the French Camouflage Daguet printed on BDU, which features a desert camouflage pattern, is used by artillery and infantry posted in dusty, semi-desert, and desert areas of Rajasthan and its vicinity. Starting in 2022, a digital pixelated camouflage pattern uniform designed by NIFT has been adopted, while the uniform style is similar to the US Marine MMCUU uniform.

The new camouflage pattern retains the mix of colours including olive green and earthen, and has been designed keeping in mind aspects like areas of deployment of the troops and climatic conditions they operate in. According to the officials, the fabric of the new material makes it lighter, sturdier, more breathable, and more suitable for the different terrains that the soldiers are posted in.

The new uniform, unlike the old one, has a combat T-shirt worn underneath and a jacket over it. Also, unlike the older uniform, the shirt will not be tucked in. The jacket has angular top pockets, lower pockets with vertical openings, knife pleats at the back, a pocket on the left sleeve & a pen holder on the left forearm, and improved-quality buttons. The trousers will be adjustable at the waist with elastic and buttons, and has a double layer at the groin. For the caps, the girth will be adjustable, and the logo of the Army will be of better quality than earlier.

Medals and awards

The medals awarded by the President of India for gallantry displayed on the battlefield, in order of precedence, are Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, and Vir Chakra.

The medals awarded by the President for gallantry displayed away from the battlefield, in order of precedence, are Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra.

Many of the recipients of these awards have been Indian Army personnel.

Women

The role of women in the Indian Army began when the Indian Military Nursing Service was formed in 1888. Nurses served in World Wars I and II, where 350 Indian Army nurses either died, were taken prisoner of war, or declared missing in action; this includes nurses who died when SS Kuala was sunk by Japanese Bombers in 1942. In 1992, the Indian Army began inducting women officers in non-medical roles.

Agnipath Recruiting Scheme

The Agnipath Scheme (also spelled Agneepath Scheme) (Hindi: Agnīpath Yojanā, transl. Agnipath Scheme) is a tour of duty style scheme approved by the Government of India on 14 June 2022 and implemented in the country a few months later in September 2022, for recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. All recruits will be hired only for a four-year period however 25% will be eligible for advancement into career status. Personnel recruited under this system are to be called Agniveers (transl. Fire-Warriors), which will be a new military rank. The introduction of the scheme has been criticised for lack of consultation and public debate. Initial training will last six months and the remaining three years and six months will be service time.

Recruitment and Training

Officers (Permanent commission)

The NDA/NA is the premier entry route to join the army as Permanent Commission officers. It is open to unmarried candidates aged 16½–19½ years, NDA/NA selects students after 10+2, irrespective of stream for army. The NDA/NA exam is held twice a year, consisting of Mathematics and General Ability. Candidates who clear the cutoff undergo a five-day Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, followed by a medical examination. The final merit determines the selection. The examination is highly competitive as approximately 600,000 candidates apply for roughly 800 vacancies each year.

Training is conducted in two phases. First, cadets spend three years at National Defence Academy, earning a Jawaharlal Nehru University affiliated degree in B.Sc. or B.A. while undergoing basic military training. After graduation, Army cadets move to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun for one year of advanced army training focused on leadership and field warfare.

On completion, cadets are commissioned as Lieutenants. Based on merit and preference, they are allotted to infantry (such as Rajputana Rifles, Dogra Regiment, etc.), armoured corps (such as Poona Horse, 87th Armoured Regiment, etc.), Regiment of Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, etc.

The Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE) is conducted for graduates to join the army as Permanent Commission officers. It is conducted by UPSC twice a year (April and September), CDSE allows entry into the Indian Military Academy (IMA) for the Army.

Candidates applying must be unmarried Indian male citizens, aged 19–24 years for IMA entry. A bachelor's degree in any stream is required for the Army, along with medical fitness standards similar to NDA, with strict requirements for vision, height, and general health.

The selected candidates for the army join the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, for 12 months of pre-commission training. This includes advanced weapon training, field tactics, leadership development, and physical conditioning. After the successful completion of the training, the candidate is commissioned as a Lieutenant in the army.

Enlisted (Agnipath)

Since the introduction of the Agnipath Scheme in 2022, India has shifted to inducting Gorkha troops exclusively through this new recruitment system. However, the Government of Nepal strongly opposed the scheme, stating that its four-year short-term service contracts and absence of long-term benefits were inconsistent with the principles of the historic 1947 Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite Agreement, which has governed the recruitment of Gorkhas for decades. As a result, Nepal has refused to allow its citizens to participate in Agnipath recruitment.

This deadlock has led to a complete halt in the recruitment of Nepali Gorkhas for nearly five years, creating deep uncertainty for thousands of aspiring candidates and casting doubt on the future of the legendary Gorkha regiments, which have been an integral part of the army for over seven decades.

Traditionally, India recruits Gorkha soldiers who are citizens of Nepal under the framework of the Tripartite Agreement. To qualify, a candidate shall be aged between 17.3 and 21 years and must have successfully completed Class 10 and hold a matriculation certificate from a recognized educational board. Following this, the candidate must undergo a rigorous physical and medical examination, demonstrating excellent physical fitness, 6/6 eyesight, and being completely free of deformities, disorders, or diseases that could impair service.

Gorkha candidates are provided special height relaxation compared to the general requirements for the Western Plains region. As per current standards, the minimum height required for Gorkha recruits is 157 centimetres, with a minimum weight of 48 kilograms and a chest measurement of 77 centimetres (with a 5 cm expansion).

Equipment

Most of the army equipment is imported, but efforts are being made to manufacture indigenous equipment. The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a range of weapons for the Indian Army, including small arms, artillery, radars, and the Arjun tank. All Indian military small-arms are manufactured under the umbrella administration of the Ordnance Factories Board, with principal firearm manufacturing facilities in Ichhapore, Cossipore, Kanpur, Jabalpur, and Tiruchirapalli. The Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifle, which has been successfully deployed since 1997, is a product of Rifle Factory Ishapore, while ammunition is manufactured at Khadki, and possibly at Bolangir.

In 2014, Army chief General Bikram Singh said that if given sufficient budget support, the Indian Army might be able to acquire half the ammunition needed to fight in a major conflict by the next year.

Aircraft

The Army Aviation Corps is the main body of the Indian Army for tactical air transport, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation, while the Indian Air Force's helicopter assets are responsible for assisting army troop transport and close air support. The Aviation Corps operates approximately 150 helicopters. The Indian army had projected a requirement for a helicopter that can carry loads of up to 750 kilograms (1,650 lb) to heights of 7,000 m (23,000 ft) on the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir. Flying at these heights poses unique challenges due to the rarefied atmosphere. The Indian Army will induct the HAL Light Utility Helicopter to replace its ageing fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs, some of which were deployed more than three decades ago.

On 13 October 2012, the defence minister gave control of attack helicopters to the Indian Army, which had formerly rested the Indian Air force.

Future developments

The major ongoing weapons programmes of the Indian Army are as follows:

F-INSAS is the Indian Army's principal infantry modernisation programme, which aims to modernise the army's 465 infantry and paramilitary battalions by 2020. The programme aims to upgrade the infantry to a multi-calibre rifle with an under-barrel grenade launcher, as well as bulletproof jackets and helmets. The helmet would include a visor, flashlight, thermal sensors, night vision devices, and a miniature computer with an audio headset. There would also be a new lightweight and waterproof uniform, which would help the soldier in carrying extra loads and fighting in an NBC environment.

In 2008, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved raising two new infantry mountain divisions (with around 15,000 combat soldiers each) and an artillery brigade. These divisions were likely to be armed with ultralight howitzers. In July 2009, it was reported that the Army was advocating a new artillery division. The proposed artillery division, to be under the Kolkata-based Eastern Command, was to have three brigades – two armed with 155 mm howitzers and one with the Russian "Smerch" and indigenous "Pinaka" multiple-launch rocket systems.

In February 2024, reports emerged for the formation of a new Corps under the Central Command for deployment along Line of Actual Control (LAC). The XVIII Corps would consist of at least one division (with around 15,000 to 18,000 combat soldiers each) and three independent brigades. This includes 14 RAPID Division, 9 Mountain Brigade, 136 Mountain Brigade and 119 Mountain Brigade. This move will convert HQ Uttar Bharat from a Static Formation into 'Full-fledged Combat Arm'. This move is in a proposal stage in the Army and will be forwarded to the Ministry of Defence for clearance.

In April 2024, Indian Army proposed two new formations. One of them was the creation of an "adversial force" acting as opposing force which will represent an enemy force in wargames. The other one is a "test-bed brigades or formation" which will enhance the efficiency of testing new weapons for procurement.

Force modernisation and reorganisation

The Indian Army planned to undergo a phased restructuring from 2023 in order to become a lean, agile, and technologically advanced military. The internal study report Re-organization and Rightsizing of the Indian Army from 2022 served as its foundation. As part of the restructuring, the Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi ordered the creation of the Rudra all-arms brigades, Bhairav light commando battalions, Shaktibaan artillery regiments and Divyastra batteries on 25 July 2025. He announced these approvals in Drass War Memorial on 26 July on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas. Additionally, he also announced that each infantry battalion is also equipped with drone platoons. In multi-domain battlefields dominated by information, digitization, automation, precision, and AI, Rudra and Bhairav are built for quick and decisive action. The Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi called these restructuring moves as Indian Army's approach as a “transformative, modern, and future-oriented force”.

On 10 August, it was reported that the Indian Army has issued "specific orders" with "implementation instructions" to undertake these major reorganisations through “Save and Raise” mode which will not have an effect on the defence budget.

On 22 October, Director General (Infantry), Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, announced the completion of raising 380 'Ashni' specialist drone platoons with each of the 380 infantry battalions. Each platoon employs 20–25 soldiers and is equipped with loitering munitions and drones to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. The Army is procuring six types of loitering munitions and four types of ISR drones for the infantry.

Integrated Battle Groups

The concept of combined arms operations was first demonstrated with the Indian Army in a field exercises in Punjab in 2013. The idea was later reintroduced in 2018 by the then CoAS General Bipin Rawat as Integrated Battle Group (IBG).

The Integrated Battle Groups would be Brigade-sized, self-sufficient combined arms formations commanded by an officer of the rank Major General. The IBGs are meant to transform the overall field formation of the Indian Army. By July 2019, the new concept of formations had been test-bedded with the IX Corps (Rising Star Corps) and were being re-organised based on the basis of feedbacks. The formation of a specific IBG and its resource allocation would depend on three T's — Threat, Terrain and Task. The formation would have mobilisation time of 12–48 hours. The IBG will replace the traditional field formation of Commands–Corps–Divisions–Brigades with Commands and Corps being the largest static formation spread across a defined geography and the largest mobile formation, respectively. The composition of IBG also depends on its nature — offensive or defensive. While Offensive IBG will be designed to be mobilised at the earliest to thrust into enemy territory for strike operations, the Defensive IBG will be tasked to hold ground at vulnerable points where enemy action is expected.

In October 2019, the 59 Infantry Division of the XVII Corps (Brahmastra Corps) conducted the first military exercise to validate the concept of Integrated Battle Groups (IBG). Exercise Him Vijay included three IBGs of the Division. The aim was to reduce the response time Cold Start Doctrine's 72 hours to under 24 hours. By May 2022, the IBGs were test-bedded by IX Corps and further validated by the XVII Corps. The Army identified these Holding Corps in the Western Front and the Strike Corps in the Northern/Eastern Front for total 'IBG-isation' parallel to the formation of the larger Integrated Theatre Commands of the Armed Forces.

By June 2024, two and five IBGs under IX Corps and XVII Corps were raised under the first and second phases, respectively. These formations also participated in wargames and were validated in multiple scenarios. Though the Army HQ had earlier submitted the report on Phase 1 of 'IBG-isation', the Defence Ministry also demanded the same for Phase 2 before the official Government Sanction Letter (GSL) can be issued. The original plan was to initially carve out 8–10 IBGs (5,000 to 6,000 troops each) and followed by more over the years. By November, the Army submitted a draft GSL seeking official approval for the establishment of the IBGs. The issuing of the GSL implied the approval for the implementation of IBGs. Post approval, the Army aimed to have the IBGs operational by 2025.

Rudra all-arms brigades

On the occasion of 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas, the COAS announced that he had approved the formation of Rudra all-arms brigades a day earlier, on 25 July 2025 and that two brigades deployed on the border has already been converted to Rudra brigades. As part of the plan, 250 single-arm brigades — with over 3,000 soldiers each — are to be converted to all-arms ones with integration of fighting elements like infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured (tanks), Special Forces as well as support elements like artillery, engineers, air defence, electronic warfare and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). The formations will receive specially prepared logistics for support and combat support.

Though, the design of the Rudra brigades is based on the concept of Integrated Battle Groups, there are few but major modifications. Firstly, while an IBG was conceptualised to be a scaled-down Division, the Rudra brigades are not so but are slightly larger than standard brigades. Secondly, IBGs were envisioned to be commanded by a Major General, eliminating the rank of Brigadier. However, the Rudra brigades will have a Brigadier- ranked commanding officer.

Reportedly, the two Rudra brigades that are already formed will be operationalised in eastern Ladakh and Sikkim likely under IX Corps and XVII Corps, respectively, within few months.

The Rudra Brigade under the Konark Corps of the Southern Command was operationally validated during Exercise Akhand Prahaar under the Tri Service Exercise (TSE) Trishul in early November 2025. With the operationalisation of these brigades, the Army reportedly plans to upgrade its Cold Start military doctrine to "Cold Strike". The term was coined by a retired Army officer, Lieutenant General A B Shivane and later used by the commanding officer of Southern Command, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth.

Bhairav Light Commando Battalions

Bhairav Battalions are another type of formation that is being raised by the Indian Army. The battalion has a strength of 250 personnel, including 78 officers, which is much less than that of a standard infantry battalion (800 soldiers) or a Parachute Regiment battalion (620 soldiers). AK-203 is the standard issue rifle for the Bhairav light commandos. These agile and compact battalions, evolving from the Ghatak Platoon concept, are designed as shock troops to undertake clandestine missions or deliver surprise strikes under high-risk conditions the enemy lines to inflict maximum damage. The units are being raised under the long-standing “son of the soil” concept, in which soldiers are recruited from the areas they will be called upon to defend, in order to recruit soldiers with local knowledge and connections, as well as a direct personal stake in defending their communities. The Army Chief has tasked the individual Infantry Regimental Centres to select, train, and depute personnel from their respective units, which will be affiliated with and operate alongside specific corps. The selected soldiers will be trained for 2–3 months for their first phase under the Regimental Centre, followed by a month-long second phase of advanced training under the aegis of Special Forces training centres of the troops' respective deployment theatres. These units will be lighter armed and less strategically tasked than the Special Forces, serving instead as a bridge between Special Forces and regular infantry, thereby freeing the former for more critical operations.

As per a report on 14 August, the Indian Army plans to have five such battalions by the end of 31 October. From the five battalions, three of the battalions will be assigned to the Northern Command with one each for XIV Corps, XV Corps and XVI Corps, while one each will be deployed in the Western and the Northeastern sectors. The battalions will be tasked for roles like cross-border interdiction, reconnaissance and disruption of adversary positions. Ultimately, 23 Bhairav Battalions are planned to be raised.

As of 22 October, the service will raise 25 Bhairav battalions within six months. Meanwhile, five battalions, as earlier planned, have already been deployed and their training programme will culminate on 30 October, following which, the battalions will be operationalised. Additionally, four additional battalions are being raised.

As of 4 January 2026, the Army has raised 15 such battalions. The 4 Bhairav battalion, formed from the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, participated in the 77th Delhi Republic Day parade in 2026. Additionally, on the same occasion, the 6 Bhairav of the Eastern Command also took part in the Red Road parade in Kolkata. A report on 27 January by the Hindustan Times indicated that the Army had raised 21 Bhairav battalions.

Shaktibaan regiments and Divyastra batteries

The Indian Army will also reorganise the Artillery Regiments to adapt with modern battlefield needs.

Each newly raised Shaktibaan regiment will be purely technology-driven units with the objective of "see-and-strike" operations and will include three batteries, with two of them operating long- and medium-range loitering munitions and the third operating swarm drones and remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS). The regiments are being raised under "Save and Raise" format, implying restructuring existing assets and infrastructure rather than forming entirely new units.

Additionally, each traditional artillery regiment will be equipped with a Divyastra Battery. These will be composite batteries equipped with loitering munitions as well as dual-role RPAs and operating alongside the two batteries equipped with eight medium artillery guns each. The configuration will enable sensor-to-shoot networking and integrate real-time surveillance and engagement into an independent unit.

Under the first phase, five artillery regiments are expected to be introduced with Divyastra batteries by the end of August 2025. On 29 December 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the Indian Army proposal to procure 850 loitering munitions with launchers worth ₹2,000 crore (US$210 million) from Indian sources. The munitions will equip the Shaktibaan regiments and Divyastra batteries of the Indian Army Regiment of Artillery. This is part of an overall procurement of 30,000 such munitions to equip all three defence forces as well as special forces. The contracts, worth ₹1,557 crore (US$160 million), were signed for 840 loitering munition systems — the largest-ever single purchase of such systems — at a fast-tracked procedure on 14 August 2026 with Tata Advanced Systems and NIBE Limited, who secured the lowest (L1) and second lowest (L2) bidders, respectively. While TASL will deliver 54 systems with 540 loitering munitions at a cost of ₹1,013.77 crore (US$110 million), NIBE will deliver 30 Vayu Astra-1 systems with 300 loitering munitions at a cost of ₹563.36 crore (US$59 million). The munitions have been tested at various high-altitude and desert theatres and haveen validated with a range of up to 100 km. The deliveries will be completed within 12 months.

Shaurya squadron

The Shaurya squadron was introduced during its validation trials in March 2026. These drone warfare units are part of the Armoured Regiment of the Armoured Corps. Six squadrons have been activated under five Army commands as of 27 March, one of which took part in the 13-day long Amogh Jwala exercise. The exercise was conducted at the Babina Field Firing Ranges near Jhansi by the 31st Armoured Division (White Tiger Division) under the XXI Corps (Sudarshan Chakra Corps). The roles of the squadron includes precision strikes, combat support and electronic warfare. However, the concept of drone integration is still at a nascent stage and more trials were necessary before a formal approval is received and the units are raised formally.

Baaz Battalion

Another formation dedicated for Remotely Piloted Aircraft operation are being raised as of 30 June 2026. These formations are built on RPA and R&O flights of the Army Aviation Corps. They will employ a specialised cadre of trained personnel for operating and managing Army's expanding arsenal of remotely piloted aerial systems.