About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Indian Armed Forces

Encyclopedia : I : IN : IND : Indian Armed Forces

Indian Armed Forces

Emblem
Military manpower
Total armed forces Ranked 2nd)
Active troops 1,325,000 (Ranked 3rd)
Paramilitary forces
Conscription age 16 years of age
Availability males age 15-49: 287,551,111 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service males age 18-49: 219,471,999 (2005 est.)
Reaching conscription age annually males: 11,446,452 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures
USD figure 16.97 billion US $ (2004 est.) [link]
Percent of GDP 2.5% (2004 est.) [link]
Components
Indian Army 27px
Indian Air Force

Indian Navy

Indian Coast Guard

Indian Paramilitary Forces
Strategic Nuclear Command
History
Military history of India
British Indian Army
Indian National Army
Ranks
Air Force ranks and insignia of India
Army ranks and insignia of India
Naval ranks and insignia of India
Related Info
Aircraft of the Indian Air Force
List of Indian divisions in WWII
Regiments of the Indian Army
The Indian Armed Forces is India's primary defence organisation. The Indian Armed Forces consists of the:

Though a paramilitary force, the Indian Coast Guard is not a part of the Indian Paramilitary Forces and acts an independent entity.

The Military of India has the third highest headcount in the world, after the People's Liberation Army and US Military. Over a million strong, the Indian Paramilitary Forces also forms one of the most formidable and largest paramilitary forces in the world. Combined, the Indian Armed Forces is the second largest armed force in the world. It is a key component of India's hard power in its rise to emerging superpower status.

The Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces is the President of India, currently Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam. The Indian armed forces is a volunteer only service; the military draft has never been imposed in India.

Contents

Combat history

Since its formation, the Army of India, as the armed force was known during the British Raj, fought in both the World Wars. During World War 2, the Army of India played a crucial role in checking the advance of the Imperial Japan and also fought several battles against Axis forces in northern Africa and Italy. Post-independence, it has fought three wars against Pakistan and a war with People's Republic of China. India also fought an extended border skirmish with Pakistan in 1999. The Indian Armed Forces have participated in several United Nations peacekeeping operations and are presently the second largest troops contributor to the peacekeeping force.

Nuclear doctrine

The Indian military possesses nuclear weapons and sufficient means, through a range of missiles and aircraft — to deliver these over considerably long distances. However, India has a nuclear no-first-use policy, also India is the first country in the world to have a nuclear no-first-use policy and maintains a nuclear doctrine based on credible minimum deterrence. India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), citing concerns that it unfairly favours the established nuclear powers, and provides no provision for complete nuclear disarmament. Indian officials argued that India's refusal to sign the treaty stemmed from the treaty's fundamentally discriminatory character; the treaty places restrictions on the non-nuclear weapons states but does little to curb the modernization and expansion of the nuclear arsenals of the nuclear weapons states.

Gallantry awards

The highest wartime gallantry award given by the Military of India is the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), followed by the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) and the Vir Chakra (VrC). Its peacetime equivalent is the Ashoka Chakra. The highest decoration for meritorious service is the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.

See also


Republic Day Parade
New Delhi, 2004

Military academies in India

See also

Pre-independence
Post-independence

References

Notes

↑  Does not include members of the Indian Police Service

External links


 
Military of India

Indian Army seal Indian Army | 
Indian Navy | 
Indian Air Force | 
Indian Coast Guard

India
Arts and entertainment • Cinema • Citizenship • Climate • Cuisine • Culture • Demographics • Economy • Education • Flag • Foreign relations • Geography • Geology • Government • History • Holidays • Languages • Law • Military • Politics • Religion • Sports • Transport

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: