Indian Army
The Indian Army is the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces and serves as the land-based branch. The President of India holds the position of Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, while the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), a four-star general, serves as its professional head. Two officers have been awarded the rank of field marshal, a five-star rank that is a ceremonial position of great honor.
The Indian Army has a rich history, dating back to its formation in 1895 alongside the presidency armies of the East India Company. The princely states also had their own armies, which were merged into the national army after India gained independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in several battles and campaigns around the world, earning many battle and theatre honours before and after Independence.
The primary mission of the Indian Army is to ensure national security and unity, defend the nation from external aggression and internal threats, and maintain peace and security within its borders. It also conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances, such as Operation Surya Hope. The government can also requisition the army to cope with internal threats. The Indian Army is a major component of national power, alongside the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Army has been involved in several major operations, including four wars with neighboring Pakistan and one with China. It has also conducted large peacetime exercises such as Operation Brasstacks and Exercise Shoorveer. The army has been an active participant in numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions, including those in Cyprus, Lebanon, Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, El Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Somalia.
The Indian Army is operationally and geographically divided into seven commands, with the basic field form. Its diverse history and involvement in numerous operations make it a formidable force in ensuring national security and unity.
Indian Navy
The modern Indian Navy has a rich history that dates back to the seventeenth century when the East India Company established a maritime force. This laid the foundation for the establishment of the Royal Indian Navy in 1934. Today, the Indian Navy is headquartered in New Delhi and is under the command of the Chief of the Naval Staff, an Admiral. The Navy is deployed under three area commands, each headed by a flag officer. The Western Naval Command is headquartered in Bombay on the Arabian Sea, the Southern Naval Command in Kochi (Cochin), in Kerala, also on the Arabian Sea, and the Eastern Naval Command in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian Navy has a rich maritime history that dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries when Indian shipbuilding skills and maritime abilities were so sophisticated that they could produce ships with a capacity to carry over a hundred men along with large quantities of goods for trade. However, the advent of Europeans in India started sowing seeds of the decline of the Indian naval power. Despite a few instances of strong naval forces throughout history, such as with the Mughals, Gujarat kingdom, and the Marathas, the Indian Navy has persevered and continues to be a formidable force in the region.
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force was officially established on October 8th, 1932. On April 1st, 1954, Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, one of the founding members of the Air Force, took over as the first Indian Chief of Air Staff. Over time, the Indian Air Force has undergone massive upgrades to its aircraft and equipment, introducing more than twenty new types of aircraft. The last decade of the twentieth century saw a significant change in the structure of the Indian Air Force, with the induction of women into the Air Force for short service commissions. It was also a time when the Air Force undertook some of the most perilous operations ever undertaken.
Today, the IAF is well-established on the path to becoming a credible aerospace force, ready to face dynamic technological global challenges through modernization and able leadership. The IAF is committed to "People First Mission Always," achieved through a systematic approach to building up its strategic, tactical, and nation-building capabilities. As it enters the twelfth Five Year Plan period, the IAF is poised to acquire capabilities that would allow it to conduct network-centric enabled operations across the spectrum of conflict.
Military technological growth poses new challenges and provides unique opportunities to leverage new and current military capabilities in pursuit of national interests. In pursuance of this strategy, the IAF has put in place a blueprint for an entire overhaul of the Air Defence network, acquisition of frontline combat aircraft with state-of-the-art precision weapons, and other enabling technologies. It has also bolstered its transport and helicopter fleets with the induction of C-130J special operations transport aircraft and Mi-17 V5 medium lift helicopters.
The Indian Air Force has a rich history and a bright future. Its commitment to modernization and strategic planning ensures that it will continue to be a formidable force in the years to come. For more information on the Indian Air Force, please visit the IAF website.
The Indian Coast Guard
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a vital maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India. It has jurisdiction over India's territorial waters, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India formally established it on 1 February 1977. The ICG operates under the Ministry of Defence and works closely with the Indian Navy, the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Revenue (Customs), the Central Armed Police Forces, and the State Police Services.
The Indian Navy first proposed the establishment of the Indian Coast Guard to provide non-military maritime services to the nation. In the 1960s, sea-borne smuggling of goods threatened India's domestic economy. The Indian Customs Department frequently called upon the Indian Navy for assistance with patrol and interception in the anti-smuggling effort.
To study the problem, the Nagchaudhuri Committee was constituted with participation from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. In August 1971, the committee identified the requirement to patrol India's vast coastline, set up a registry of offshore fishing vessels to identify illegal activity, and establish a capable and well-equipped force to intercept vessels engaged in illegal activities. The committee also looked at the number and nature of the equipment, infrastructure, and personnel required to provide those services.
By 1973, India had started a programme to acquire the equipment and started deputing personnel from the Indian Navy for these anti-smuggling and law enforcement tasks, under the provisions of the Maintenance of Internal Security Act. However, the Indian Navy sensed that the law enforcement nature of these duties diverged from its core mission as a military service. Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, then Chief of Naval Staff, hence made a recommendation to the Defence Secretary outlining the need for a separate maritime service to undertake those duties.
Today, the Indian Coast Guard is a highly capable and well-equipped force that plays a crucial role in safeguarding India's maritime interests.
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organization in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter-insurgency. It is composed of Central Reserve Police Force (Regular) and Central Reserve Police Force (Auxiliary).
It came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949. Besides law and order and counter-insurgency duties, the CRPF has played an increasingly large role in India's general elections. This is especially true for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and in the North East, with the presence of unrest and often violent conflict. During the Parliamentary elections of September 1999, the CRPF played a major role in the security arrangements. Of late, CRPF contingents are also being deployed in UN missions.
With 246 battalions and various other establishments, the CRPF is considered India's largest central armed police force and has a sanctioned strength of more than 300,000 personnel as of 2019.
Mission
The mission of the Central Reserve Police Force shall be to enable the government to maintain Rule of Law, Public Order and Internal Security effectively and efficiently to preserve National Integrity & Promote Social Harmony and Development by upholding supremacy of the Constitution.
In performing these tasks with utmost regard for human dignity and freedom of the citizens of India, the force shall endeavor to achieve excellence in management of internal security and national calamities by placing Service and Loyalty above self.
History
The CRPF was derived from the CRP (Crown Representative's Police) on 27 July 1939 with 2 battalions in Nimach [Means North Indian Mounted Artillery and Cavalry Headquarter], Madhya Pradesh. Its primary duty at the time was to protect the British residents in sensitive states of India.
In 1949, the CRP was renamed under the CRPF Act. During the 1960s, many state reserve police battalions were merged with the CRPF. The CRPF has been active against foreign invasion and domestic insurgency.
On 21 October 1959, SI Karam Singh and 20 soldiers were attacked by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh resulting in 10 casualties. The survivors were imprisoned. Since then, 21 October is observed as Police Commemoration day nationwide, across all states in India.[5]
On the intervening night of 8 and 9 April 1965, 3500 men of the 51st Infantry Brigade of Pakistan, comprising 18 Punjab Bn, 8 Frontier Rifles and 6 Baluch Bn, stealthily launched operation "Desert Hawk" against border posts in Rann of Kutch. It was to the valour of Head Constable Bhawana Ram deployed on the eastern parameter of Sardar Post whose gallant act was to a great extent instrumental in demoralizing the intruders and forcing them to retreat from the post.
The CRPF guarded the India-Pakistan Border until 1965, at which point the Border Security Force was created for that purpose. On 2001 Indian Parliament attack the CRPF troopers killed all five terrorists who had entered the premises of the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.
When 5 armed terrorists tried to storm the Ram Janambhoomi Complex in Ayodhya on 5 July 2005 and had penetrated the outer security rings, they were challenged by CRPF which formed the inner security ring. Shri Vijeto Tinyi, AC and Shri Dharambir Singh, Head Constable, who exhibited exemplary gallant were awarded with ‘Shaurya Chakra’.[4] In recent years, the Government of India has decided to follow up on recommendations of the Indian cabinet to use each security agency for its mandated purpose. As a result, the counter-insurgency operations in India have been entrusted to the CRPF. In 2008 a wing called Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was added to the CRPF to counter the Naxalite movement. On 2 September 2009, 5000 CRPF soldiers were deployed for a search and rescue mission to find the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy whose helicopter went missing over the Nallamalla Forest Range in Andhra Pradesh. This was the largest search operation ever mounted in India.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the premier central police force of the Union of India for internal security. Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, it is one of the oldest Central para-military forces (now termed as Central Armed Police Force). CRPF was raised as a sequel to the political unrest and the agitations in the then princely States of India following the Madras Resolution of the All-India Congress Committee in 1936 and the ever-growing desire of the Crown Representative to help the vast majority of the native States to preserve law and order as a part of the imperial policy.
After Independence, the force was renamed as Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament on 28 December 1949. This Act constituted CRPF as an armed force of the Union. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the then Home Minister, visualized a multi-dimensional role for it in tune with the changing needs of a newly independent nation.
Central Industrial Security Force
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a federal police organization in India that operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs. As one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the CISF is responsible for providing security to over 356 industrial units, including 13 private sector units, government infrastructure projects, and facilities located throughout India. These include atomic power plants, space installations, mines, oil fields and refineries, major ports, heavy engineering, steel plants, barrages, fertilizer units, airports, and hydroelectric/thermal power plants owned and controlled by Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and currency note presses.
Established on March 15, 1969, with a strength of 2,800 personnel, the CISF was later designated as an armed force of India by another Act of Parliament passed on June 15, 1983. Today, the CISF has an active strength of 148,371 personnel, and in April 2017, the government raised the sanctioned strength to 180,000 personnel. The CISF is responsible for guarding sensitive governmental buildings, the Delhi Metro, and providing airport security. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs governs the CISF, and its headquarters are located in New Delhi.
In addition to its security services, the CISF also provides consultancy services to private industries and other organizations within the Indian government. Its consulting practice includes security consulting and fire protection consulting.
The CISF also plays a significant role in disaster management. Its Fire Wing helps during fire accidents in industries where the CISF is on guard.
Initially established to provide better protection and security for industrial undertakings in the country, the CISF had a limitation that industries to be provided protection should be wholly owned by the central government. However, this has since been modified to include other industries as well.
Sashastra Seema Bal
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is a border guarding force of India that is deployed along its borders with Nepal and Bhutan. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The force was originally established under the name Special Service Bureau in 1963, following the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Its primary task was to provide armed support to the foreign intelligence division of Intelligence Bureau, which later became Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The secondary objective was to instill a sense of national belonging in the border population and assist them in developing their capabilities for resistance through a continuous process of motivation, training, development, welfare programs, and activities in various regions of India.
ver the years, the program was extended to cover more areas, including Manipur, Tripura, Jammu, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Gujarat, South Bengal, Nagaland, and the Nubra Valley, Rajouri, and the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The primary purpose of the SSB was to counter an act of aggression by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. At the time, it was believed that the Chinese were militarily superior to India and might attempt to overwhelm Indian forces in the event of a war.
Today, the SSB continues to play a crucial role in safeguarding India's borders and ensuring the safety and security of its citizens. Its personnel are highly trained and equipped with the latest technology to detect and prevent any threats to the nation's security. The force is a symbol of India's commitment to protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its members are proud to serve their country in this capacity.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a highly esteemed border patrol organization of India that is deployed along its borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region. Established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War of 1962, it is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces.
In September 1996, the Parliament of India enacted the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force Act, 1992 to provide for the constitution and regulation of the ITBP, ensuring the security of India's borders and related matters. Balbir Singh, a police officer previously belonging to the Intelligence Bureau, was designated as the first head of the ITBP, with the title of Inspector General.
The ITBP started with four battalions and has undergone significant expansion since its restructuring in 1978. As of 2018, it has grown to a force of 60 battalions with 15 sectors and 05 frontiers, with a sanctioned strength of 89,432.
The ITBP is highly trained in various areas, including Civil Medical Camp, disaster management, and nuclear, biological, and chemical disasters. Its personnel have been deployed abroad in UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Western Sahara, Sudan, Afghanistan, and other locations. Additionally, two battalions of ITBP are deputed to the National Disaster Response Force.
The ITBP is a vital component of India's national security apparatus, and its personnel are highly skilled and dedicated to their mission. With its extensive training and experience, the ITBP is well-equipped to handle any challenges that may arise along India's borders.