The army has a strength of
about a million troops and fields 34 Divisions within 13 Corps. Its
headquarters is located in the Indian capital New Delhi and it is under the
overall command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), currently General Dalbir Singh Suhag. 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 in insurgent-hit Kashmir and the Northeast. Recently it has been proposed to enhance the strength of the army by
more than 90,000 to counter the increasing presence of Chinese troops along the
LOC.The Indian Army (IA, Hindi: भारतीय थलसेना, Bhāratīya Thalsēnā) is the land-based branch and the largest component of theIndian Armed Forces. The President of India serves as the de jure Commander-in-Chief of
the army while the de facto leadership lies with Minister of Defence, and it is
commanded by the Chief
of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four-star general. Two officers have been conferred the
rank of Field marshal, a Five-star rank, which is a ceremonial position of great
honour. The Indian Army originated from the armies of the East India Company, which eventually became the British Indian Army and finally the national army after independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army
have diverse histories and have participated in a number of battles and
campaigns across the world, earning a large number of battle
and theatre honoursbefore and after Independence.[4] The primary mission of the Indian Army is to
ensure national security and unity, defendingthe nation from
external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its
borders. It conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities
and other disturbances, like Operation Surya Hope, and can also be requisitioned by the
government to cope with internal threats. It is a major component of national
power alongside the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.[5] The army has been involved in four wars with
neighbouring Pakistan and one with China. Other major operations undertaken by
the army include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot and Operation Cactus. Apart from conflicts, the army has conducted
large peace time exercises like Operation Brasstacks and Exercise Shoorveer, and it has also been
an active participant in numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions including the ones in Cyprus, Lebanon, Congo,
Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, El Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique and
Somalia.
The Indian Army has a regimental system, but is operationally and
geographically divided into seven commands, with the basic field
formation being a division. It is an all-volunteer
force and comprises more than 80% of the country's
active defence personnel. It is one of the largest standing armies in the world, with 1,129,900 active troops and 960,000 reserve troops.[6]The army has embarked on an
infantry modernisation programme known as Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a
System (F-INSAS), and is also upgrading
and acquiring new assets for its armoured, artillery and aviation branches.[7][8][9]
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