Formation and Structure of Indian Army

Q: How many soldiers are in a platoon?

Three or four squads make up a platoon, which has 20 to 50 soldiers.

Q: What is the highest rank of Indian Army?

Field Marshal (or field marshal, abbreviated as FM) is a five–star general officer rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Army

Table of Contents

Formation and Structure of Indian Army

The Second Largest standing army in the world and the largest component of Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Army is Undoubtedly the pride of India. The Indian Army has 1.2 million active troops and 1 million reserve troops right now. In this article, we will discuss the structure and Formation of Indian Army.

The Headquarter of Indian Army is in New Delhi and and is under the overall command of COAS , Chief of Army Staff. Currently COAS of India is General Manoj Mukund Narvane.

Field Formations of Army

The Basic Field Formations of Army are Discussed below:

Command: Two or three corps together form a command , Indian Army has six operational commands and one training command. Each command is headed by a general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C), known as the army commander.

Corps: Three or Four Division together make a Corp, 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. In Indian Army there are three types of corps : Strike, Holding and Mixed.

The Corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.

Division: A Division is made up of three or four Brigades, each division is headed by GOC (division commander) in the rank of major general. 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: Around 3,000 combat troops with supporting elements make a Brigade. 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: Four rifle companies together make a Battalion. it is 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: A Company is Composed of three platoons. it is Commanded by a company commander who is a major or lieutenant-colonel.

Battery: A Battery Comprises of either 3 or 4 sections, in artillery and air defence units. Every battery has two officers, the senior of which is the Battery Commander.

Platoon: A Platoon is Composed of three sections. it is Commanded by a platoon commander who is a JCO.

Section: A Section is the Smallest military outfit, with a strength of 10 personnel. it is Commanded by a section commander of the rank of Havaldar.

Indian Army Command Structure

Indian Army has a total of 7 commands including one training command, Each command is headed by a general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C), known as the army commander. Each command directly reports to the army headquarter at New Delhi.

Here we will learn about all seven commands.

1. Central Command

Headquarter-Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Sub-ordinate Unit-I Corps — Currently assigned to South Western Command

2. Eastern Command

Headquarter- Kolkata

Sub-ordinate Unit-

23rd Infantry Division headquartered at Ranchi
III Corps, headquartered at Dimapur, Nagaland
IV Corps, headquartered at Tezpur, Assam
XXXIII Corps, headquartered at Siliguri, West Bengal

3. Northern Command

Headquarter- Udhampur

Sub-ordinate Unit-

XIV Corps, headquartered at Leh, Jammu and Kashmir
XV Corps, headquartered at Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
XVI Corps, headquartered at Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir

4. Southern Command

Headquarter- Pune

Sub-ordinate Unit-

41st Artillery Division, headquartered at Pune, Maharashtra
XII Corps, headquartered at Jodhpur, Rajasthan
XXI Corps, headquartered at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

5. South Western Command

Headquarter- Jaipur

Sub-ordinate Unit-

42nd Artillery Division headquartered at Jaipur
I Corps, headquartered at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
X Corps, headquartered at Bhatinda, Punjab

6. Western Command

Headquarter- Chandimandir

Sub-ordinate Unit-

40th Artillery Division headquartered at Ambala
II Corps, headquartered at Ambala, Haryana
IX Corps, headquartered at Yol, Himachal Pradesh
XI Corps, headquartered at Jalandhar, Punjab

7. Army Training Command

Headquarter- Shimla

Basic Organizational Structure

To understand the structure better, we need to know that Indian army is broadly divided into three Groups, that are

Combat Arms
Combat support Arms
Supporting arm

Combat Arms

Infantry
The Armoured Corp
The Mechanized Infantry
The Regiment of Artillery
Corps of Army Air Defence
Army Aviation Corps

Combat Support Arms

Corps of Engineers
Corps of EME
Corps of Signals
Army Ordnance Corps
Army Supply Corps
Army Medical Corps

Supporting Arms

Intelligence Corps
Corps of Military Police
Territorial Army
Judge Advocate General’s Department
Remount and Veterinary Corps
Army Education Corps
Army Dental Corps
Military Nursing Service
Army Postal Service Corps
Pioneer Corps
Defence Security Corps
Military Farms Services

Queen of the Battle: Infantry

The most Pivotal role in a war is played by the Infantry. Infantry is the soul of whole army organization. The Indian Army’s Infantry consist of many regiments, each of which further comprises many battalions / units. The battalions are sequenced in a particular fashion, generally in order of when they were raised. Below we are providing names of all infantry Regiment with their regiment headquarters and all other related information.

Regiment	Active From	Regimental Center	Motto	War Cry
The Brigade of the Guards	1948	Kamptee, Maharashtra	“Pahla hamesha pahla” (“first always first”)	“Garud ka hun bol pyare” (“I am the son of Garuda, Say O my friend”)
Madras Regiment	1758	Wellington, Tamil Nadu	“Swadharme nidhanam shreyaha” (“it is a glory to die doing one’s duty”)	“Veera Madrassi, Adi Kollu, Adi Kollu” (“Brave Madrassi, Strike and Kill, Strike and Kill!”)
Rajputana Rifles	1775	Delhi Cantonment, Delhi	“Veer bhogya vasundhara” (“the brave shall inherit the earth”)	“Raja Ramachandra ki jai” (“victory to King Ramachandra”)
Sehrawat Regiment	1778	Haryana	“Sarvatra vijay” (“victory everywhere”)	“Bol Bajrang Bali Ki jai” (“say victory to Lord Hanuman”)
Dogra Regiment	1877	Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh	“Kartavyam anvatma” (“duty before death”)	“Jawala Mata ki jai” (“victory to Goddess Jawala”)
Sikh Regiment	1846	Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand	“Nischay kar apni jeet karon” (“with determination, I will be triumphant”)	“Jo bole So Nihal, sat sri akal” (“he who cries ‘God is truth’ is ever happy”) “Wahe Guruji Da Khalsa, Wahe Guruji Di Fateh” (“The Khalsa of Waheguru is victorious”)
Jat Regiment	1795	Haryana,Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh	“Sangathan va veerta” (“unity and valour”)	“Jat balwan, jai bhagwan” (“the Jat is strong, victory to God”)
Parachute Regiment	1945	Bengaluru, Karnataka	“Shatrujeet” (“the conqueror”)	“Balidan Param Dharma” (“Sacrifice Supreme Duty”)
Punjab Regiment	1757	Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand	“Sthal wa jal” (“by land and sea”)	“Jo bole So Nihal, sat sri akal” (“he who cries ‘God is truth’ is ever happy”); “Bol Jawala Ma ki jai” (“say victory to Goddess Jawala”)
The Grenadiers	1778	Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh	“Sarvada shaktishali (“always strong”)	“Sarvada shaktishali” (“always strong”)
Sikh Light Infantry	1944	Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh	“Deg teg fateh” (“prosperity in peace and victory in war”)	“Jo bole So Nihal, sat sri akal” (“he who cries ‘God is truth’ is ever happy”)
Maratha Light Infantry	1768	Belgaum, Karnataka	“Duty, honour, courage”	“Bola Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai, Temlai Mata ki jai” (“say victory to Emperor Shivaji, victory to Goddess Temlai”)
The Garhwal Rifles	1887	Lansdowne, Uttarakhand	“Yudhaya krit nischya” (“fight with determination”)	“Badri Vishal Lal ki jai” (“victory to the Great Lord Badri Nath”)
Kumaon Regiment	1813	Ranikhet, Uttarakhand	“Parakramo vijayate” (“valour triumphs”)	“Kalika Mata ki jai” (“victory to Goddess Kali”); “Bajrang Bali ki jai” (“victory to Lord Hanuman”); “Dada Kishan ki jai” (“Victory to Dada Kishan”)
Assam Regiment	1941	Shillong, Meghalaya	“Assam vikram” (“unique valour”)	“Rhino charge”
Bihar Regiment	1941	Danapur, Bihar	“veerta se yudh par” (“To war with valour”)	“Bajrang Bali Ki Jai” (Victory to Lord Hanuman); “Birsa Munda ki jai” (“victory to Birsa Munda”)
Mahar Regiment	1941	Saugor, Madhya Pradesh	“Yash sidhi” (“success and attainment”)	“Bolo Hindustan ki jai” (“say victory to India”)
Jammu & Kashmir Rifles	1821	Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh	“Prashata ranvirta” (“valour in battle is praiseworthy”)	“Durga Mata ki jai” (“victory to Goddess Durga”)
Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry	1947	Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir	“Balidanam vir lakshanam ” (“sacrifice is a characteristic of the brave”)	“Bharat Mata ki jai” (“victory to Mother India”)
Naga Regiment	1970	Ranikhet, Uttarakhand	“Parakramo vijayate” (“valour triumphs”)	“Jai Durga Naga” (“victory to Durga Naga”)
1 Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)	1815	Subathu, Himachal Pradesh	“Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro” (“better to die than live like a coward”)	“Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali” (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
3 Gorkha Rifles	1815	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh	“Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro” (“better to die than live like a coward”)	“Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali” (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
4 Gorkha Rifles	1857	Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh	“Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro” (“better to die than live like a coward”)	“Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali” (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)	1858	Shillong, Meghalaya	“Shaurya evam nistha” (“courage and determination”)	“Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali” (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
8 Gorkha Rifles	1824	Shillong, Meghalaya	“Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro” (“better to die than live like a coward”)	“Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali” (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
9 Gorkha Rifles	1817	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh	“Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro” (“better to die than live like a coward”)	Jai Ma Kali, Ayo Gorkhali (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
11 Gorkha Rifles	1918-1922; from 1948	Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh	“Yatraham vijayastatra” (“Victory resides where I reside”)	“Jai Ma Kali, Ayo Gorkhali (“hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas”)
Ladakh Scouts	1963	Leh, Ladakh		“Ki ki so so Lhargyalo” (“Victory to God”)
Arunachal Scouts	2010	Rayang, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh
Sikkim Scouts	2013

We Tried Our best to equip you with all the important facts regarding Formation of Indian Army. Hope you find your Answers.

Structure of Indian Army: FAQs

Q1. How many soldiers are in a platoon?

Ans. Three or four squads make up a platoon, which has 20 to 50 soldiers.

Q2. Who is the Army Chief of Indian Army?

Ans. General Manoj Mukund Naravane is the Chief of Indian Army.

Q3. What is the highest rank of Indian Army?

Ans. Field Marshal (or field marshal, abbreviated as FM) is a five–star general officer rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Army