Tuesday 17 January 2012

INDIAN ARMY








The Indian Army is one of the largest in the world, with a history going back several hundred years. It was during the British era, that a Military Department very similar to the present Ministry of Defense was set up but, with most of the senior positions occupied by the British. It was after Independence, on 14th January 1949, the Army had its first Indian Commander-in-Chief, General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa. The army headquarters is located in Sena Bhavan and portions of the south block of the Red fort in Delhi. 

Armed Forces offer excellent career opportunities to the adventurous young candidates. It is a career that offers immense facilities, a privileged lifestyle and of course, honors in serving the country. The Armed Forces characterize the ideals of service, sacrifice, patriotism and our country's composite culture. The basic responsibility of the Army is to safeguard the territorial integrity of the nation against external aggression. In addition, the Army is often required to assist the civil administration during internal security disturbances and in the maintenance of law and order, in organizing relief operations during natural calamities like floods, earthquakes and cyclones and in the maintenance of essential services.

The two main lines of work in the armed forces are categorized under the Fighting Forces and the Support Services. The fighting forces comprise the armored corps, artillery, signals, engineering and the infantry (and similar divisions in the navy and air force), while the Support Services include electronic and mechanical engineering, ordinance corps, medical corps, intelligence and education.

The Indian Army functions under the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), formerly designated as Commander-in-Chief. COAS is assisted by Vice - Chief of the army staff and seven other Principal Staff Officers (PSO's), namely, the two Deputy Chiefs of the Army Staff, Adjutant General, Quarter Master General, Master General of Ordnance, Military Secretary and Engineer- in- Chief. 

The Army is divided into six operational commands (Field armies) and one training command, each command under a General Officer Commanding in chief who has an equal status to the Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), and working under the control of Army HQ in New Delhi. The major field formations are Corps, Division and Brigade which are commanded by a Lieutenant General, Major General and Brigadier respectively.

The Indian Army is organized into five regional commands 
HQ Central Command Lucknow. 
HQ Eastern Command Calcutta. 
HQ Northern Command Udhampur. 
HQ Western Command Chandimandir . 
HQ Southern Command Pune.


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